New virus threatens banking customers in UAE

According to a cyber-security expert from US technology company Symantec the virus known as Dyre targets Windows computers by hijacking the three most commonly used web browsers — Google Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

So far, Dyre has struck at more than 1,000 banks and companies around the globe, according to Symantec. While American and British institutions are the most targeted, 12 UAE banks have been targeted in the last year, resulting in nearly 400 attacks on local customers.

According to Symantec, Dyre is mainly spread through spam e-mails, often disguised as business-related attachments. Once the attachments are opened, a downloading tool is surreptitiously installed, which then collects intelligence on a victim and attempts to disable security software, before installing Dyre itself.