British police said today they have made Europe's first arrests in the battle against an online Trojan which threatened to compromise thousands of computers in the UK.

The ZeuS or Zbot Trojan, a type of sophisticated malicious malware, is believed to have infected and accessed personal information from tens of thousands of computers around the world.

The Trojan was configured in a way that when installed in the systems of infected computers, it recorded users' online bank account details and passwords, credit card numbers and other personal information, including passwords for social networking sites, before causing the computer to forward data to servers under the control of distributors.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Central e-Crime Unit (PceU), said on November 3, they arrested a man and a woman, both 20 years old, in Manchester. Both suspects have been released on bail pending further investigation.

"The ZeuS Trojan is a piece of malware used increasingly by criminals to obtain huge quantities of sensitive information from thousands of compromised computers around the world," said Detective Inspector Colin Wetherill of the PceU.

"The arrests represent a considerable breakthrough in our increasing efforts to combat online criminality."

Police said computer users' should take the following measures to protect against malware:

* Run anti-virus and anti-spyware software - Always run these softwares and keep them regularly updated.

* Windows update - Enable automatic updates to keep the operating system patched against known vulnerabilities.

* Patch software applications - In addition to the operating system, it is essential to keep software installed in your system patched against known vulnerabilities. Security patches are usually free and can be downloaded from the software vendors.

* Use a personal firewall - A full firewall can protect your computer from unauthorized access when configured correctly.

* Follow good security practices - There is no substitute for common sense when you are on the Web.

 

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