Source code for Spyeye malware leaked
By Joe Elvin
19/08/2011
The source code for Spyeye malware has been leaked onto a number of blogs and internet forums.
Both the code and a walkthrough guide, which enables users to crack the hardware identification, were originally posted onto the blog of security firm Damballa earlier this week.
The release will allow researchers to understand more about the threat and design new methods of preventing against it.
However, it has also been labelled as a "double-edged sword" because it can now now also be utilised by other cyber-criminals to infect even more computers.
This highlights the importance of investing in IT management systems to protect computers being compromised by wide-running viruses such as these.
Damballa senior threat intelligence analyst Sean Bodmer claimed that the release could prevent a serious threat to web-based businesses all over the world.
Speaking to The Inquirer, he said: "Putting in the hands of babes one of the most powerful cyber threats today, 'for free', is something that will mean even more sleepless nights for security administrators."
Infosecurity-magazine.com report that a similar incident happened with Spyeye's sister product Zeus last March and that this resulted in it becoming a more pervasive threat than it was at the time of release.
