Online attackers steal millions from UK bank accounts

Officials are now hunting the online attackers after British bank accounts were stolen almost £20m.

A malware called Dridex were able to get the victims' online banking details so the attackers could take their money.

Europe's police agency or the Europol is investigating the crime as well as the law enforcements in Germany and Moldova where they believe that the attackers could have links too.

"This is very sneaky software that relied on people not being vigilant with their online banking," said Prof Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert who advises Europol. "If you imagine thieves making lots of little transactions, rather than one big one, it is more likely to go unnoticed."

The online attackers used Dridex to gain access to people's personal computers. The virus records the login and password details used to access internet banking services and passes it back to the attackers who uses the information to steal from bank accounts.

Dridex tricks people into installing it on their machines, rather than exploiting a security hole in the operating system.

"Computers become infected with Dridex malware when users receive and open documents in seemingly legitimate emails. The NCA assesses there could be thousands of infected computers in the UK, the majority being Windows users." The National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

"Banks have software running constantly in the background looking for suspicious transactions, but criminals are adopting patterns that are not flagged up," Prof Woodward added. "With thousands of computers infected, they only need to take a small amount from each bank account and suddenly they've got millions."

Mike Hulett, NCA spokesman, said: "This is a particularly virulent form of malware and we have been working with our international law enforcement partners, as well as key partners from industry, to mitigate the damage it causes. Our investigation is ongoing and we expect further arrests to made."

US' FBI encourages people to use anti-virus software to help protect their computers.

Attacks from the virus have stopped but are new feared by law enforcers to have restarted.

"All the usual advice applies," said Prof Woodward. "Don't open unexpected email attachments, even if they appear to be from the bank. "And check your bank statement for suspicious transactions. Query anything you don't understand, even if it's a small amount, as criminals may be taking a small amount from millions of other people."

The NCA said, "Users are urged to visit the CyberStreetWise and GetSafeOnline websites where a number of anti-virus tools are available to download to help clean up infected machines and get advice and guidance on how to protect themselves in the future."