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Real-Time Keyloggers

The NY Times has a story and a blog backgrounder focusing on a weapon now being wielded by bad guys (most likely in Eastern Europe, according to the Times): Trojan horse keyloggers that report back in real-time. The capability came to light in a court filing (PDF) by Project Honey Pot against "John Doe" thieves. The case was filed in order to compel the banks — which are almost as secretive as the cyber-crooks — to reveal information such as IP addresses that could lead back to the miscreants. Or at least allow victims to be notified. Real-time keyloggers were first discovered in the wild last year, but the court filing and the Times article should bring new attention to the threat. The technique menaces the 2-factor authentication that some banks have instituted: "By going real time, hackers now can get around some of the roadblocks that companies have put in their way. Most significantly, they are now undeterred by systems that create temporary passwords, such as RSA's SecurID system, which involves a small gadget that displays a six-digit number that changes every minute based on a complex formula. If [your] computer is infected, the Trojan zaps your temporary password back to the waiting hacker who immediately uses it to log onto your account. Sometimes, the hacker logs on from his own computer, probably using tricks to hide its location. Other times, the Trojan allows the hacker to control your computer, opening a browser session that you can't see."

2 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. IT'S MADONNA'S BIRTHDAY TODAY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Madonna is 51!

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADONNA!

    I made it through the wilderness
    Somehow I made it through
    Didn't know how lost I was
    Until I found you

    I was beat incomplete
    Id been had, I was sad and blue
    But you made me feel
    Yeah, you made me feel
    Shiny and new

    Chorus:

    Like a virgin
    Touched for the very first time
    Like a virgin
    When your heart beats (after first time, with your heartbeat)
    Next to mine

    Gonna give you all my love, boy
    My fear is fading fast
    Been saving it all for you
    cause only love can last

    You're so fine and you're mine
    Make me strong, yeah you make me bold
    Oh your love thawed out
    Yeah, your love thawed out
    What was scared and cold

    MADONNA IS THE BEST!

  2. please oh please delete my account by NoGoodNamesLeft98213 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    why won't slashdot delete my account upon request?