Identity Theft News

Windows system restore targeted by virtual identity thieves

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The dogrobot virus that plagues Chinese internet cafes is being used to hijack online gaming account credentials, which can then be re-sold online.

The technique used to infect computers with the virus offers a unique advantage to cyber criminals: it infiltrates Windows' system restore functionality, so that computers remain infected even after complete reversion to a previously defined system restore point. This is accomplished via a combination of rootkits and zero-day flaws, which makes dogrobot difficult to clean from infected systems.

Experts say that the malware is a sophisticated delivery system for the dogrobot virus, which has been heavily modified to skirt security software and remain invisible on affected systems. This, in addition to its resistance to removal, makes the malware exceptionally suited to the theft of virtual identities for games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft.

Some online avatars can fetch hundreds of dollars at auction and sales websites, and an extensive market for virtual items and in-game money exists as well. Microsoft anti-virus researcher Chun Feng told ZDnet that the dogrobot group of viruses has cost Chinese internet cafes over $1.2 billion in losses.ADNFCR-1765-ID-19377068-ADNFCR

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