The latest version of the Zeus do-it-yourself crimeware kit goes to great
lengths to thwart would-be pirates by introducing a hardware-based product
activation scheme similar to what's found in Microsoft Windows.
The newest version with bare-bones capabilities starts at $4,000 and
additional features can fetch as much as $10,000. The new feature is designed to
prevent what Microsoft refers to as "casual copying" by ensuring that only one
computer can run a licensed version of the program. After it is installed, users
must obtain a key that's good for just that one machine.
"This is the first time we have seen this level of control for malware,"
according to an analysis of the latest Zeus version published this week by
SecureWorks.
