A report by cybersecurity experts at Dell SecureWorks found that malware spread by banking botnets, the massive networks of infected computers that steal victims' bank logins to empty their accounts, have been targeting warehouses in New York, the UK, Romania and Latvia.

　　Senior threat researcher at SecureWorks, Pallav Khandhar, believes it could be a sign that hackers - often in Eastern Europe - are creating a channel to launder stolen money and goods, a business estimated to be worth US$1.8 billion, reported CNN Money.

　　"You can say they're turning into an international mafia," said Mr Khandhar. They're not just going after banks or bank users. These guys are going after everyone."

　　The hackers wire funds out of hijacked banks accounts. With the stolen cash, they buy online electronics and luxury clothing, which are later resold for cash.

　　"Shipping firms make for excellent laundries for stolen goods," said chief scientist of the botnet-detecting cybersecurity firm White Ops, Dan Kaminsky. And they are an easier target with corporate bank accounts to pilfer, according to cybersecurity expert with F5 Networks Brian McHenry.

　　Hong Kong's EES identifies where a company's computer network is open to different cyberattacks techniques through its "network and systems agility, attack surfaces, defensive elements and layers, identity management and control, intelligence and analysis, signal to noise, and incident response solutions, to minimise the risk of being hacked.

　　"In most cases companies don't realise they've been hacked until months after it has happened," CEO Sunil Rathour at EES told the Hong Kong Shipping Gazette.

(Source:shippingazette)