SOCA warns broadband users over spy virus infections - Telegraph.co.uk

The collaboration with SOCA and is an extension of an Virgin Media initiative launched last year that targets the Zeus Trojan, another virus which steals banking information. It uses IP address data from the Shadowserver Foundation, a non-profit group of computer security experts that track online threats.

More recent reports indicatethat SpyEye and Zeus are now available to cyber criminals and as an all-in-one package.

Rik Ferguson, of the security firm Trend Micro, said that Virgin Media's letters should be welcomed but that "prevention is better than cure". He cited a service offered by rival broadband provider TalkTalk that warns users against visiting potentially malicious websites as they browse.

A Virgin Media spokesman said customers' response to being told their computer was infected had been "generally positive".

"Cybercrime is on the rise and the increasing sophistication of malware infections mean that all internet users could be at risk with devastating effects," said Jon James, the firm's executive director of broadband.

SOCA's responsibilities for cyber crime intelligence gathering are due to be taken over by the new National Crime Agency from 2013.