Thieves Reaching for Linux—”Hand of Thief” Trojan Targets Linux #INTH3WILD

Just two weeks after reporting about the commercialization of the KINS banking Trojan, RSA reveals yet another weapon to be used in a cybercriminal’s arsenal.

It appears that a Russia based cybercrime team has set its sights on offering a new banking Trojan targeting the Linux operating system. This appears to be a commercial operation, which includes support/sales agents and software developer(s).

Meet the “Hand of Thief” Trojan 

Meet the "Hand of thief" Trojan

Hand of Thief is a Trojan designed to steal information from machines running the Linux OS. This malware is currently offered for sale in closed cybercrime communities for $2,000 USD (€1,500 EUR) with free updates. The current functionality includes form grabbers and backdoor capabilities, however, it’s expected that the Trojan will have a new suite of web injections and graduate to become full-blown banking malware in the very near future. At that point, the price is expected to rise to $3,000 USD (€2,250 EUR), plus a hefty $550 per major version release. These prices coincide with those quoted by developers who released similar malware for the Windows OS, which would make Hand of Thief relatively priced way above market value considering the relatively small user base of Linux.

Thieves Reaching for Linux—”Hand of Thief” Trojan Targets Linux #INTH3WILD | RSA Blog

Backdoor in US emergency alert systems

The US-CERT, which is part of the US Department of Homeland Security, warns that security-critical vulnerabilities in US emergency alert systems potentially allow attackers to switch off the systems or misuse them to broadcast arbitrary emergency alerts. The Linux systems are used at TV and radio stations in the US and enable the US government to interrupt ongoing broadcasts when there is an emergency. This is designed to allow the US president to address the nation within ten minutes.

Front/Back view of the DASDEC

Backdoor in US emergency alert systems | The H Security

Avira says farewell to Linux

Avira is discontinuing its Linux products

German antivirus company Avira is discontinuing its Linux products in order to focus more on developing its Mac OS X and Windows lines. The company says small businesses and consumer systems "almost exclusively rely upon Windows or Mac operating systems" and that "Linux installations have been declining steadily for years". As a result, licences for its Linux products will no longer be able to be bought or renewed after 30 June 2013.

Avira says farewell to Linux | The H Security