Whether you lived near moving water in Medieval Russia, were moored in the Highlands of Scotland, or lived in a huge tower in Ireland, you knew when the Vikings had landed. Within moments, everything you owned had been stolen, killed, or set on fire. Those who survived the raids picked up what they could from their devastated land. Survivors sought relief from their medieval lords, who might resupply them or might grant them nothing. The success of the Vikings increased their wealth and spawned further raids, and so they evolved their ships to carry more and travel further. Their range went all the way to the US shores. They constantly evolved their battle tactics and weapons to ensure dominance against their foes. They had no pity for innocent civilians.

Fast forward several hundred years, and little has changed. Financial malware crews obliterate life savings in moments, bring SMBs and small banks to their knees, and are global in reach. Zeus crews have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars and devastated lives. The medieval lords have been replaced by bank relationship managers and our slow-moving legal system. And just like the Vikings, the success of the current crews has spawned great innovation in financial malware software.

The brief titled “The Cutting Edge is Honed – Financial Malware Update” covers the new raiders’ nefarious activities. Not only has there been evolution, but there have also been breakthroughs. New malware suites have been launched and newer ones are on the cusp of going live. Without knowing what the threats are, defenses are obsolescent. In medieval Ireland, round towers were created to survive Viking attacks: Once the Viking methodology, tools, and mindset became known, defenses evolved against them.

When Torstein lands on your beach, will you flee, perish, or be ready?