Agent Tesla

Spyware Agent Tesla regularly appears at the top of the virus statistics and last month it was the number one virus statistic. Agent Tesla is a typical representative of spy spyware that focuses on stealing passwords. Of course, this uninvited visitor does not attack only in the Czech Republic, it is one of the most widespread threats practically all over the world. Most commonly Agent Tesla is spread as an attachment to spam emails.

Formbook

Security experts have also been worried about Formbook, which was first unveiled in 2016, for several years. This thieving malware has attacked in waves and has fought its way to the top of the list of the most widespread malware several times in the past. In September it was in second place.

It is a stealing malware that steals login credentials from web browsers, takes screenshots, tracks keystrokes and can download and execute files based on commands from a command and command (C) server. It’s usually spread through phishing emails and attachments, so the best way to prevent infection is to keep a close eye on any emails that look suspicious or come from unknown senders.

FormBook doesn’t just pose a threat to Windows PCs. Its new strain, called XLoader, also targets macOS users. However it doesn’t have as much of a share in Apple’s operating system as it does in Windows.

Fareit

Rounding out the trio of the most prevalent threats is Fareit – this threat also focuses on password theft. The attackers spread the Fareit malicious code, for example, in e-mails that pretended to be messages from banks or logistics companies. Nine out of ten of these e-mails were translated into Czech. Attackers have a variety of tools at their disposal to prepare attacks, including artificial intelligence tools using large language models, such as ChatGPT. However, users may still encounter language errors.

For an overview of other threats to the Windows operating system that made it into the top ten in September, see the table below. If you are concerned about your online safety, please contact us.

Top 10 Cyber Threats to Windows in the Czech Republic:

1. MSIL/Spy.AgentTesla trojan (12.72%)
2. Win32/Formbook trojan (10.32%)
3. Win32/PSW. Fareit trojan (2.15%)
4. BAT/Agent.PZX trojan (2.07%)
5. BAT/Agent.PZQ trojan (1.64%)
6. MSIL/Spy.Agent.AES trojan (1.64%)
7. Win32/Spy.VB.OLN trojan (1.59%)
8. VBS/Agent.QMG trojan (1.05%)
9. Win32/Rescoms trojan (1.01%)
10. Java/Adwind trojan (0.98%)