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Banks Warned of ‘Mass Fraud Campaign’ for Cyberattacks Come Spring

Dec. 14, 2012 8:55am Liz Klimas

A report from a security firm analyzing an ongoing cyberattack is warning financial institutions that it continues to be a “credible threat” and is expected to hit them hard in the spring.

According to analysis from McAfee Labs, the cyberattack known as “Project Blitzkrieg” was launched by a hacker going as “vorVzakone” (which means “thief of law”), who is involved in other campaigns that have already infected more than 500 institutions.

“If the aims of Project Blitzkrieg, as vorVzakone has claimed, become fully realized by spring 2013, the financial industry needs to be fully prepared,” Ryan Sherstobitoff wrote for McAfee.

According to the report by the security firm, a blog post by RSA researchers first brought the Trojan attacks to light, which it notes finding were in development since 2008 and transferred $5 million so far. The thieves as a whole, according to the report, have been active using their system since April 2012 and have infected up to 500 institutions.

McAfee Labs Warning Financial Institutions of Project Blitzkrieg Attack Planned for Spring

“Using McAfee Global Threat Intelligence to track these campaigns, we were able to gather telemetry
information on the number of victims and their approximate locations. This campaign targeted victims
across the United States during a period of two months, with the latest victim infected on October 25.” (Image: McAfee Labs)

“McAfee Labs believes that Project Blitzkrieg is a credible threat to the financial industry and appears to be moving forward as planned. Not only did we find evidence validating the existence of an early pilot campaign operated by vorVzakone and his group using the Trojan Prinimalka that infected at a minimum 300 to 500 victims across the United States, but we were also able to track additional campaigns as a result of the forum posting,” the report stated.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta referenced the attacks on banks revealed in October, as well as other cyberattacks, during a speech that month saying this was a “pre-9/11 moment.”

“Before September 11, 2001 the warning signs were there. We weren’t organized. We weren’t ready. And we suffered terribly for that lack of attention,” Panetta said.

Some at the time linked the attacks to Iran but McAfee research seems to have traced vorVzakone attacks to originating in Russia.

“It’s no secret that Russia and China have advanced cyber capabilities. Iran has also undertaken a concerted effort to use cyberspace to its advantage,” Panetta said in his October speech, according to Fox Business.

The continuation of the “mass fraud campaign,” if vorVzakone’s plans come to fruition, is set to hit 30 other institutions in 2013. The report does acknowledge that some speculate vorVzakone called off these plans due to recent publicity, but others think this is not the case.

(Image: McAfee Labs)

CNET pointed out the campaign is expected to target specific accounts at investment and consumer banks and credit unions, making it easier for the cybercriminals activity to go undetected until it’s too late.

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Comments (16)

wowjustwow
Posted on December 17, 2012 at 11:46am
So, you’ve all figured that THIS is Obama’s fault too?? I love the part where this is Obama’s plan to steal your 401ks!! I hate to break it to you, but your republican congress whom you support are the ones who support the big banks stealing your 401ks!! At least try to be honest.

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- CulperGang
  Posted on December 17, 2012 at 2:45pm
  Who said it is just barry? he works for the banking cartel……..THEY are pulling all these flase ops. where do you think all this fiscal crisis is coming from? DERIVITIES……straight from the MAJOR banking houses. Barry is just a water carrying step and fetch it for them.
  
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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on December 15, 2012 at 9:55am
This is exactly what might expect to see from alinsky radicals that have taken control of the cia, fbi and homeland security.

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- G-WHIZ
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 10:24am
  All produced by muzzi-radicles in their U.S.A.-basements on their O’BerrieComputers!
  (just like O’berri-fones).
  
  Report this comment
- CulperGang
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 2:45pm
  exactly right. another false flag op right out of their manual to create more “crises” which we sit back and take up the poopershooter. The Congress has the authority to impeach and arrest and have done nothing. We pay HUGE sums of money for empty suits.
  
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AnOregonian
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 2:22pm
this has happened once before…

On Thursday (Sept 18), at 11am the Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous draw-down of money market accounts in the U.S., to the tune of $550 billion was being drawn out in the matter of an hour or two. The Treasury opened up its window to help and pumped a $105 billion in the system and quickly realized that they could not stem the tide. We were having an electronic run on the banks. They decided to close the operation, close down the money accounts and announce a guarantee of $250,000 per account so there wouldn’t be further panic out there.

If they had not done that, their estimation is that by 2pm that afternoon, $5.5 trillion would have been drawn out of the money market system of the U.S., would have collapsed the entire economy of the U.S., and within 24 hours the world economy would have collapsed. It would have been the end of our economic system and our political system as we know it.

http://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-world-almost-came-to-end-at-2pm-on.html

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- badge02812
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 2:40pm
  You are correct!
  There was a 2009 study titled, Economic Warfare : Risk And Responses which can shed further light on this subject.
  The islamic Cyber Fighters Of Izz Ad-din Al Qassam aka. IRANIAN HAMAS. are responsible for the latest round of Economic Warfare against Western banking institutions.
  Possibly all connected to 9/11 and the ongoing jihadist war against the west.
  
  Report this comment
- Mike Austin
  Posted on December 16, 2012 at 1:44pm
  Senator Allen Simpson was on TV confirming that.
  The large sovereign funds can coordinate and take down our economy in 1 day without a single shot.
  Who are these large funds? Arab Countries that are no friend to us. They have trillions of petro dollars. Before, their greed kept them in check but as the radicals take over more and more countries, the remaining monarchies will fold or face being taken over.
  They did a similar short sell on 9-11 to 2 airlines. The funds were untraceable.
  They can and will do this. It is just a matter of time. Be prepared.
  
  Report this comment
Truthbeliever2
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 12:22pm
Like anybody would want to steel our worthless paper. Our economy is going to collapse and cyber-attacks won’t be the cause.

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- glassbeadlady
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 1:05pm
  it may be the cover-up when the gov. steals everyones money to pay for it’s self.
  
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- madasblazes
  Posted on December 15, 2012 at 9:46pm
  GlassBead Lady:
  That is what this looks like to me, too.
  
  Obummers way to steal our 401K’s, empty our bank accounts and leave us to “sign onto” the government system to get any help or food or pay a bill.
  
  Report this comment
honor007
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 11:49am
So, McAffee is reporting of cyberwarfare. McAffee. Yes, McAfee. Seem a lil’ strange that McAfee has been reported as a paranoid dude who was just extridited back to USA or murder??? yup, I went there. Just makes the mind wander off a bit~

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- Conservative2
  Posted on December 14, 2012 at 3:41pm
  Mcaffee was bought out, it owned buy another corporation now days, the name stayed the same tho, worthless antivirus too!
  
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schroeder123
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 11:46am
Buy More McAfee products.

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Tigress1
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 9:53am
If this is the same story that I heard on the local news last night, they said that the amounts would be so small that they probably would be undetected by most people. Reminded me of the movie “Office Space”.

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Shoot2Stop
Posted on December 14, 2012 at 9:40am
Hey Audrey, why is it always a friend of a friend, or in this case your roommate’s step-mother, that’s making all this easy money? Wouldn’t it be easier to just to hit-up Obama for a free phone, and some cash from his stash?

.

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