Virus infects 16,000 computers in Japan

Steals user IDs and passwords to empty bank accounts.

The National Police Agency or NPA said it handled 600 confirmed cases of unauthorized money transfers from 2011 until this July. Investigators suspect a single group could be responsible for many of the 400 cases reported so far this year.

NPA said it is possible that the number of cases will increase. The virus is capable of stealing one-time passwords issued by financial institutions for use in a single transaction. The computers could have been infected when their owners accessed certain websites, said the NPA.

NPA revealed the stolen IDs and passwords were sent to multiple servers located in the U.S. and Europe. It has provided information on infected terminals to Internet service providers, asking them to notify users of the possible security breach and to remove the virus.