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"A new virus capable of spying on bank transactions and stealing sensitive data such as browser passwords, cookies and network information has been discovered infecting computers in Middle East. \nCalled \"Gauss,\" the virus was designed to siphon data from several major Lebanese banks as well as users of CitiBank and PayPal, sending the stolen information back to its still-unknown creator. \nIt was detected by Kaspersky Lab, the same security firm that found the Flame virus earlier this summer. \nGauss is very similar to Flame \u2014 in fact, it was discovered by Kaspersky exactly because the two share so much DNA. Flame and the new virus have \"similar architectural platforms, module structures, code bases and means of communication with command &amp; control (C&amp;C) servers,\" according to Kaspersky. However, Gauss can infect USB drives in a \"more intelligent\" fashion, storing collected information in a hidden file on removable drives. \nKaspersky believes Gauss was likely built in the same \"factory or factories\" as Flame and Stuxnet, both of which also targeted computers in and around the Middle East. However, neither Lebanon nor banking systems were previously considered a target \u2014 Flame and Stuxnet were reported to be products of a secret joint American-Israeli effort targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.\n\nSEE ALSO: Meet Flame, the Nastiest Computer Malware Yet\nGauss' exact method of infection, along with some other details about the virus, is not yet known. However, By Kaspersky's estimation, Gauss has already infected tens of thousands of computers \u2014 less than Stuxnet, but more than Flame.\nKaspersky has been tracking Gauss since June, when it was discovered as part of a United Nations-backed effort to reduce the global impact of cyber weapons. It was likely released into the wild in September of last year.\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, PashaIgnatov"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/08/09/gauss-virus/>