When a Facebook user clicks these links they are taken to malicious sites that can install the virus on to their PC or phone
Trojan runs in the background undetected and steals information and logins
Trend Micro discovered the malicious links were being posted by fake Facebook profiles on popular brand pages, such as the U.S. National Football League.
The links are believed to be controlled by the Russian Business Network - an online criminal gang accused of stealing internet users' identities and private information.
Security company Trend Micro discovered that the Zeus Trojan was becoming more prevalent, and the amount of incidents of the virus peaked in May. One of the biggest sources was Facebook. Fake profiles were found to be posting malicious links which, when clicked on, would install the virus onto the user's PC
HOW DOES THE ZEUS BANKING TROJAN WORK?
The Zeus Trojan is a computer virus that gets its name from the Trojan horse the Greeks used to enter the city of Troy undetected in order to ransack the city.
It hides in malicious links, attachments and on infected web pages.
When a person clicks these links or visits the webpage the Trojan horse is installed on their computer.
It then sits undetected ready to strike.
Zeus can scans all the personal files and steal any private information.
The malware is also able to collect login details, even if they aren't stored in documents on your PC, using keystroke logging.
Keystroke logging, also known as keylogging, can record which keys on a keyboard are being pressed.
Zeus can then wait until the user types in their online banking address and login details and steal them.
Once they have the logins, the cybercriminals can enter your online accounts and steal your money.
The link discovered by Trend Micro was for a page called 'Bring the N.F.L to Los Angeles'.
The page has since been removed.
The security firm claim that there may be many more hidden on pages, or even being spread inadvertently by Facebook friends.
When a Facebook user clicks the links the Trojan - which gets its name from the Trojan horse the Greeks used to enter the city of Troy undetected - is installed on their computer.
It then scans all the personal files and steals any private information.
The malware is also able to collect login details, even if they aren't stored in documents on your PC, by using keystroke logging.
Keystroke logging, also known as keylogging, can record which keys on a keyboard are being pressed.
It can then wait until the user types in their online banking address and login details and steal them.
The Zeus Trojan uses keylogging to record every key that is pressed on a person's keyboard. When the user enters an internet banking address and login details, the Trojan can steal them, sign into the account and drain all the money
HOW TO AVOID THE ZEUS TROJAN?
To avoid falling victim to the Zeus malware don't ever click on unknown links.
If you want to check a link's source, copy and paste it into a site such as URL X-ray.
The site safely shows you the intended destination of a link.
If you're unsure about its safety - don't click it.
Install antivirus security on your PC and on your mobile devices, such as Lookout or AVG.
To avoid people gaining access to your internet banking accounts, sign up for two-step verification.
Each time you login a unique code will be sent to you separately - as a text message for example.
This means even if someone has your login details, they won't be able to access the unique code.
Once they have the logins, the cybercriminals can enter your online accounts and steal your money.
It is a six-year-old malware program that has seen a resurgence recently on Facebook and other social network sites.
The Zeus Trojan, also known as ZBOT, has infected millions of computers worldwide - with reports claiming 3.6 million are in the U.S alone - and can sit in the background dormant and virtually undetected.
In a blog post, Trend Micro claimed that incidents of the Zeus have risen steadily this year and peaked last month.
The Zeus virus traditionally targets computers running Windows.
Security experts at Kaspersky Lab also discovered five new variants of the Zeus trojan that specifically affect BlackBerry and Android devices last year.
This means that if a malicious link is clicked via the Facebook app or mobile site on these devices, the owner may still be at risk.
A spokesperson for Facebook said that the site actively scans for malware and offers various security options including the Scan-and-Repair Malware scan that can search for and remove malware from mobile devices.
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