Clampi Trojan Virus Attacks the World of Online Banking

July 2009 not only brought the hopes of fun summer activities, but it also brought the new vicious Trojan virus called Clampi.



Clampi is a newly sophisticated virus designed to attack online banking systems.  And unlike most Trojan viruses this virus can be picked up from trusted sites like blogs, online magazines, search engines and mainstream news websites, not just gambling and pornography sites.  It also is only designed to attack computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system.  So Mac users are safe from Clampi, for now.

Currently, Clampi is tracking over 4,500 financial websites.  Most Trojan viruses usually track 30-40 sites at a time.  Clampi is designed to watch: banks, credit card companies, e-mails, retail sites, utilities, online casinos, wire transfer services, share brokerages, government sites and mortgage lenders. Clampi is also not just limited to the United States.  It has been found attacking in the United States, Britain and other English speaking countries.

How Clampi Operates

Once Clampi has been picked up it settles into your computer and waits.  What does it wait for?  It waits for the user to log on to a bank account, credit card or some other financial website.  Once the login information is entered, Clampi grabs it and shoots it to the cyber criminal's computer.  From there the criminal uses the information to fulfill their desires.  Whether it is taking money from a bank account, using a credit card to make purchases or reek whatever havoc they may.