Trusteer doubts Microsoft efforts against Zeus
Despite efforts by Microsoft to battle against the Zeus Trojan via its Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT), claims have been made that hackers still have a golden window of opportunity to steal money from bank accounts.
Last month, Microsoft announced the capability to add detection and removal for Zeus for its MSRT, however Trusteer claimed that it tested MSRT against hundreds of Zeus files and found that MSRT detected version 2.0 of Zeus about half (46 per cent) of the time, but is unable to detect the new 2.1 variant of the financial Trojan.
According to Mickey Boodaei, CEO of Trusteer, Zeus also has a significant advantage over MSRT as the tool does not operate in real-time and only disinfects a machine when it is running. Therefore hackers have a golden window of opportunity between the time of a Zeus infection and the next scan by MSRT to siphon off money from the victim's bank account.
