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Trojan virus steals banking info

By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Computer keyboard
Sinowal infects victims' computers without leaving any trace

The details of about 500,000 online bank accounts and credit and debit cards have been stolen by a virus described as "one of the most advanced pieces of crimeware ever created".

The Sinowal trojan has been tracked by RSA, which helps to secure networks in Fortune 500 companies.

RSA said the trojan virus has infected computers all over the planet.

"The effect has been really global with over 2000 domains compromised," said Sean Brady of RSA's security division.

He told the BBC: "This is a serious incident on a very noticeable scale and we have seen an increase in the number of trojans and their variants, particularly in the States and Canada."

The RSA's Fraud Action Research Lab said it first detected the Windows Sinowal trojan in Feb 2006.

Since then, Mr Brady said, more than 270,000 banking accounts and 240,000 credit and debit cards have been compromised from financial institutions in countries including the US, UK, Australia and Poland.

The lab said no Russian accounts were hit by Sinowal.

"Drive-by downloads"

RSA described the Sinowal as "one of the most serious threats to anyone with an internet connection" because it works behind the scenes using a common infection method known as "drive-by downloads"."
sinowal trojan graph from rsa lab
Sinowal has been constantly updated with new variants

Users can get infected without knowing if they visit a website that has been booby-trapped with the Sinowal malicious code.

Mr Brady said the worrying aspect about Sinowal, which is also known as Torpig and Mebroot, is that it has been operating for so long.

"One of the key points of interest about this particular trojan is that it has existed for two and a half years quietly collecting information," he said. "Any IT professional will tell you it costs a lot to maintain and to store the information it is gathering.

"The group behind it have made sure to invest in the infrastructure no doubt because the return and the potential return is so great."

RSA's researchers said the trojan's creators periodically release new variants to ensure it stays ahead of detection and maintain "its uninterrupted grip on infected computers."

While RSA's lab has been tracking the trojan since 2006, Mr Brady admitted that they know a lot about its design and infrastructure but little about who is behind Sinowal.

"There is a lot of talk about where it comes from and anecdotal evidence points to Russia and Eastern Europe. Historically there have been connections with an online gang connected to the Russian Business Network but in reality no one knows for sure."

That he said is because the group is able to use the web to cloak its identity.

Infection

In April 2007, researchers at Google discovered hundreds of thousands of web pages that initiated drive-by downloads. It estimated that one in ten of the 4.5 million pages it analysed were suspect.

Sophos researchers reported in 2008 it was finding more than 6,000 newly infected web pages every day, or about one every 14 seconds.
Debit card and cash
Since May, Sinowal has compromised over 100,000 online bank accounts

RSA's fraud action team said it noticed a spike in attacks from March through to September this year.

That is backed up by another online security company called Fortinet. It said from July 2008 to September 2008 the number of reported attacks rose from 10m to 30m. This included trojans, viruses, malware, phishing and mass mailings.

"The explosion in the number of attacks is alarming," said Derek Manky of Fortinet.

"But trojans are just one of the players in the game wreaking havoc in cyberspace."

Remedies

While attacks are on the increase, there are some simple steps that users can take to protect their information besides using security software.

"We have a saying here which is 'think before you link,'" said Mr Manky.

"That just means observe where you are going on the web. Be wary of clicking on anything in a high traffic site like social networks.

"A lot of traffic in the eyes of cyber criminals means these sites are a target because to these people more traffic means more money," he said.
sinowal trojan raph from rsa lab
The rate at which Sinowal has been compromising online bank accounts

RSA also urged users to be wary if their bank started asking for different forms of authentication such as a social security number or other details.

"People think not clicking on a pop up or an attachment means they are safe. What people don't realise now is that just visiting a website is good enough to infect them."

RSA said it is co-operating with banks and financial institutions the world over to tell them about Sinowal. It has passed information about the virus to law enforcement agencies.


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Amerian fuck style

All those bitches saying that my jokes ain’t South African are fucked up. What tha fuck did you just say you shit eater with an IQ smaller than that of a fly? Ma jokes ain’t uniquely South African but American? Look around you motherfucker/ The whole shit is dedicated to Bernie/ What you thought we were doing this for David Kau? Or Thabo Mbeki? Huh? Oh! You thought Facebook headquarters are in Zimbabwe or in Idutywa, South Africa? Bernie is American you little twat!!

I’m sick of this shit/ People base everything on Nationality nowa days/ You do that shit? Now what gives you the right to believe that you’re different from a racist bitch? Hell we can’t even have sex one of these days/ “No baby that’s a red-neck style” Why? Is it because while fucking I held you against a trailer? Or I put it in the wrong hole and didn’t feel any difference? I don’t even have a trailer bitch I got a shack/ Get it? A shack down Cape Town in Gugulethu? Damn who knows if our shacks ain’t humping one another? I mean one shack is balancing against another/ Are they doing it the red-neck style or just can’t stand unassisted? They say we’re poor but we all got fire detectors in our shacks/ What do you call a half asleep guy with a big-flat nose? In ma hood you sleep you burn/ If one drunk guy’s shack burns, all our shacks burn too/ You gotta sleep with both yha nostrils open and to tighten up security open one of your eyes as well!!!!

Fuck the American Style/ An American bitch would just unmount from you way before you come/ “Hell no! no! I ain’t going through with this shit, I thought you said you were African, this is just an American size” But I am African “Next time I will have to specify that you need to be a Nigerian”/ I told her fuck you American lady/ You’re the problem here not me/ Fuck!! the whole of Nigeria could fit in there/ Ghanaians are welcome in American Pussy too after a very short interview/ All they gotta do is speak in the Ghanaian accent/ For example they say ‘bark’ when they mean back, or ‘toolita’ instead of two litre/ So there you have it/ If you a Ghanaian you don’t pay for pussy in America, you only speak for it.

You bitch ain’t gonna come and tell me to keep it South African Style/ I mean you come here wearing Levi’s jeans drinking Jack Daniels whisky and still got guts to give me that shit? What do you want me to say? Ek sal joe moer joe kaffer? What about Umnqund’uqala apho ke ngoku? Is that Proudly South African? Wait listen to this one: I couldn’t get HIV I took a shower after it or simply “there’s no crises in Zimbabwe/ Now that has got to be strictly South African/ I will stop going to Wimpy for breakfast instead I will go to “Kwa Shisa Nyama” what about “Pap ‘n Vleis Plek”/ See I am Proudly South African/ I mean I say black foreigners are stilling our jobs instead of saying “God bless America and no place else” Fuck now why would God do that? I mean he ain’t American in the first place.

Fuck American style/ In South Africa we name our productions the Mzantsi way/ Look at Cornerdladla production, Mzantsi for sure,Tsotsi and many more/ India on the other side had to steal Hollywood and change it to Bollywood/ What happened to originality? America don’t give a shit ‘bout you/ If they did they wouldn’t call you terrorist/ They said it so much kids in America scream “Terrorist” when they see Indian Guys/ I was in Time Square the other night when this kid went like “mama do they bite” *Pointing at an Indian guy*/ I was half pleased you know why? Black people are off the hook for once/

I love South Africa/ I’m truly proudly South African/ I mean I would go and lock you up in Robin Island and watch you taking the long walk to freedom/ It will be too late when you get there, I got plan ‘B’ and that is drowning you in poverty/ Told you to take a short walk/ You thought you were cleverer didn’t you? In America they’ll lock you up in Guantanamo Bay indefinitely/Here’s their definition of a terrorist: Anyone with long beard, wearing nighties or toga-like stuff from India is a member of an Al Qaida who plan to destroy America/ I know why Osama Bin Laden is so against America, the thing is Bush knows it too/ They planned to fuck each other up taking turns and that Bush would go first, now Bush fucked Osama and ran without giving Osama his turn/ If yha want this whole thing to be over just tell Bush to let Osama get even/ Let him fuck you back for fuck’s sake/ Bush doesn’t understand that you don’t fuck Indians and get away with it/ Osama will hunt Bush down, and when he gets him, he will fuck him so hard Bush will go home with his ass in his hand with flies rooming around like those planes when they hi WTC.

Fuck American style/ American is based on a lie in the first place/ I mean look at that fucked up Italian called Christopher Columbus/ He claimed he discovered America/ Fuck you man/ There were already people living in there/ What? You thought they were bears or black (As if we ain’t people)? They were not bears nor black/ Ever get the feeling that the Americans misinterpret stuff so that it suits them? Well American chicks think that they are so hot/ You know where they got the idea? When we say that America is a key player in Global Warming/ They think we’re complimenting them/ No bitches we ain’t doin’ no shit/ We’re talking ‘bout the fumes and the nuclear/ Long ago you called what you were doing cold war and now its boiling.

On the contrary I love American Style, its not about being a traitor to South Africa man!! I love the style. Just shut up and continue forcing your self in what you don’t like. The first step is to terminate your facebook account on the bases that it ain’t South African. Remember that I ain’t scared of you motherfuckers!!!


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2,390 Chinese infants still in hospital over milk scandal

BEIJING, Oct. 29 -- China's Ministry of Health said Wednesday that 2,390 infants nationwide were still receiving hospital treatment for kidney diseases caused by tainted powdered milk.

One was in a serious condition, the ministry said.

The number of baby patients in hospital dropped by one-third from a week ago when more than 3,600 infants were still hospitalized.

It said 48,514 children had recovered and left hospital since milk powder produced by Sanlu Group was found to contain the banned chemical melamine in mid September.

On Wednesday alone, 90 children were newly hospitalized and 218had recovered, the ministry said.

More than 4,500 medical institutions nationwide had conducted free treatment and examination of children feared to have been poisoned in the scandal.


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FDA approves new drug to treat overactive bladder

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug, Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate), to help patients suffering from overactive bladder (OAB), according to a statement by the agency on Friday.

The drug works by relaxing the smooth muscle tissue of the bladder, thus reducing the urinary frequency, urge to urinate, and sudden urinary incontinence, that are characteristic symptoms of OAB.

"Patients who suffer from overactive bladder face quality of life issues that can hamper their ability to enjoy life to its fullest," said George Benson, deputy director, Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "This new drug will provide an additional treatment option to help them manage problems with an overactive bladder."

Toviaz is manufactured by Schwarz Pharma of Zwickau, Germany and is distributed by Pfizer Inc. of New York, N.Y.. The drug will be available by prescription only, as an extended release tablet in either 4 mg or 8 mg dosage strengths. It is to be administered once daily. The recommended starting dose is 4 mg, which can be increased to 8 mg if needed, based upon individual response and tolerability. Toviaz is only approved for adults.

 


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Simple blood test predicts obesity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 - According to new research by U.S. scientists, the degree of change in blood triglyceride levels following a fatty meal may indicate susceptibility to diet-induced obesity.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Obesity and available here on Friday, open doors to new methods of identifying people, including children, who are at risk for becoming obese.

Triglycerides are a form of fat that is transported in the blood and stored in the body's fat tissues. They are found in foods and also are manufactured by the body.

"These findings suggest we may someday be able to use a simple blood test to identify those at risk for obesity," said senior author Mark Friedman, the researcher at Monell Center. "The ability to identify more susceptible individuals would make it possible to target obesity-prevention resources on those who need them most.

The global obesity epidemic is thought to be caused in part by consumption of a diet high in fat and carbohydrates, which promotes weight gain. This propensity to gain weight and become obese when consuming a high-fat diet is at least partially controlled by genes, with some individuals gaining more than others while eating the same diet.

The researchers screened rats for vulnerability to diet-induced obesity by measuring the increase in blood triglyceride levels following a single high-fat meal. They then fed the rats a diet high in fat over the next four weeks.

They were able to predict which animals would become obese over the four-week period by examining the earlier metabolic response to the high-fat meal: the smaller the triglyceride change, the greater the weight gain.

There currently are no simple biomarkers for predicting susceptibility to diet-induced obesity, and thus no clinical tests that assist physicians in identifying those at risk for becoming obese. The current findings suggest that a change in blood triglyceride levels may someday be used as such a tool.

Future studies will entail a thorough investigation of the mechanism behind differences in the change in blood triglycerides.


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