Cybercrimes that used a Trojan virus solved

Chinese police have cracked a series of cybercrime cases involving a new variant of the Silver Fox Trojan virus that has recently emerged in cyberspace, the Ministry of Public Security's cybersecurity bureau said on Tuesday.

The Trojan virus is highly deceptive and mainly targets employees of enterprises and public institutions, particularly finance personnel, the bureau said.

Once installed on a victim's computer, the malware can enable remote control, access account passwords, intercept short message service verification codes and obtain private data, it said.

According to the bureau, public security authorities have taken proactive action to investigate and crack down on such crimes.

In one case, police in Jilin province uncovered a criminal gang, led by a suspect surnamed Chen, that had developed a variant of the Silver Fox Trojan and used technical means to evade security detection.

The gang allegedly sent bulk phishing emails, stole corporate data and created fraud schemes to carry out criminal activities involving more than 7 million yuan ($1 million), police said.

Local police have taken criminal compulsory measures against Chen and 26 other suspects. The case is under further investigation.

Police warned the public to download software only from official websites and to carefully check domain names to avoid fake sites that use similar-looking characters, multiple hyphens or unofficial suffixes.

The public should also be cautious of links shared in chat groups under labels such as "meetings" or "subsidies" and verify them with the sender by phone or video call before opening them, police said. Any link requesting SMS verification codes or a bank card PIN should be treated with caution.

In the event of abnormal computer actions, including a mouse moving on its own or software automatically sending messages, users are advised to immediately disconnect the device from the internet, police said.

Users should also change passwords for social media and banking accounts on a secure device, notify friends, colleagues and clients that the account may have been compromised, and contact IT personnel or use professional antivirus software to conduct a full scan. Reinstalling the operating system may be necessary in serious cases, police added.

In line with China's Criminal Law, illegally intruding into computer information systems, stealing data or illegally controlling such systems can result in imprisonment, criminal detention and fines, depending on the severity of the offense. The law also punishes those who provide programs or tools for such illegal activities.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn