UK ISP to notify malware victims

Steps up war on botnets.

UK internet service provider Virgin Media has announced it would begin notifying customers when they have been infected by malware. 

The ISP will contact customers by mail, pointing them to free security checks and its own malware removal service.  

"We're writing to customers we've been told may be infected by malware, encouraging them to check their computers have an up to date security package, such as Virgin Media Security, and offering advice on simple and free ways to disinfect their computer," said Jon James, executive director of broadband at Virgin Media, in a statement. 

Security organisations that work on behalf of the banking and government sectors already provide information to the ISP on the spread of infections. Virgin plans to use this information to alert customers it believes are running infected machines. 

The ISP has estimated that 25 percent of its complaints related to speed are caused by malware. 

The malware education initiative follows reports that the Zeus v3 trojan was responsible for the loss of £675,000 (A$1.17 million) from online customers of one UK bank.

In Australia, authorities have recommended a more drastic "walled garden" approach to malware infections which could include cutting a customer off from a service. The Internet Industry Association last year drafted an industry code of conduct, proposing that an infected customer be contacted by its ISP.