Two computer security organizations, viz. Kaspersky Lab and the Laboratory of Cryptography & System Security (CrySys), have released malware-detection tools to allow Windows users to check for possible infections by recently discovered Gauss malware.

Researchers at Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab recently warned that that they had detected Gauss malware on around 2,500 computers in Middle East, most of which were found in Lebanon.

Gauss, which is reported a state-sponsored malware, steals logins for targeted computer owners’ e-mails, instant messaging accounts, social network accounts as well as back accounts. The malware targeted a great number of customers of several banks, including Bank of Beirut, Credit Libanais, Blom Bank, and Citibank.

CrySys of the Budapest University of Technology & Economics was the first to release Gauss detection tool, which relies on the Palida Narrow strategy. Kaspersky’s tool also relies on the Palida Narrow strategy, but it simplifies the strategy by inserting an IFRAME element, which uses JavaScript to detect the presence of the font, into a Web page.

Gauss is believed to have been written by the same state-sponsored programmers who had written complex computer virus Flame, which was found spying on Iranian computers in May this year. Flame was discovered just three months back, but researchers believe it had been operating since mid-2008. Flame used to fake the Windows Update service, and then use that to infect even up-to-date Windows-based computers.