Virgin Media has become the first UK Internet service provider to warn customers their PCs are infected with a virus and offer a free rescue scheme.
The company has sent letters to 1,500 customers, warning them they have been targeted by the SpyEye Trojan. It provides advice on how clean the virus off PCs and also offers a PC Healthcheck utility.
Virgin Media executive director of broadband Jon James said: “With increasing numbers of people getting online and a nation reliant on broadband, consumers are looking for more from their service providers to give them the confidence their online world is safe.”
According to Virgin, the SpyEye trojan collects personal and banking information and represents a high level of threat to infected users.
Virgin Media said it had been alerted to the malware infection by the Serious & Organised Crime Agency. The agency identified Virgin Media customers as targets while investigating criminal botnets.
Lee Miles, head of cyber at Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca), said the agency works with a range of private sector partners to help prevent cyber criminals from exploiting legitimate businesses and their customers.
He commented: “We welcome steps taken within industry to use the information and resources provided by law enforcement and raise awareness of online safety.”
