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Exploit Prevention Labs Releases Exploit Prevalence Survey for Month of June
WebKnowHow Exploit Prevention Labs, developer of anti-exploit protection, released findings for its Exploit Prevalence Survey for the month of June. The Exploit Prevalence Survey, which debuted on June 8, is a monthly survey to measure the top web-borne exploits based on real-world prevalence data. The survey results are derived from automated reports submitted by users of Exploit Prevention Labs’ SocketShield anti-exploit software in addition to information captured from the company’s network of hunting-pots. A free trial download of the SocketShield software is available at http://www.explabs.com. What are Exploits? Exploits are malware applications that take advantage of security vulnerabilities in common software applications such as Windows operating systems and browsers. Unlike traditional malware, such as viruses or trojans that are usually created by thrill-seeking individuals trying to cause chaos, exploits are part of a growing category of malicious and frequently for-profit applications used by international criminal cyber gangs. Zero-day exploits, an especially dangerous form of exploit, are exploits for which no patches are yet available. Once software vulnerabilities are discovered, it typically takes the software developer anywhere from three weeks to six months to develop a patch, because the patches must be rigorously tested to ensure they don’t cause other system instabilities. On the other hand, exploit developers are not bothered by such concepts as quality assurance and application conflicts, and can release their code very quickly, often the same day a vulnerability is uncovered. Most exploit infections occur by what’s known as a drive-by download, in which malicious code is force-downloaded onto a user’s computer without their knowledge. This occurs the moment the user visits a compromised web site, which may well appear completely innocuous. The payload, usually in the form of a rootkit, then exposes the user to damage from spyware, keyloggers, and other crimeware. Many Internet users mistakenly believe as long as they’re not visiting pornographic or illegal file sharing sites, they’re safe from exploits. The truth, however, is that even trusted web sites cannot always be trusted. Similar to the business model employed by spammers, the exploit distributors use a tiered distribution system, usually composed of a single master exploit server that controls a large network of servers hosting innocent-seeming web sites that in turn act as lures for unsuspecting visitors. Exploit Prevention Labs has discovered numerous exploit distribution networks in which up to 20,000 trusted and legitimate web sites had been hacked by cyber criminals who were using those sites to spread exploits. When a surfer visits one of the sites, malicious code placed on the site silently connects to an exploit server operated by the criminals and attempts to deliver the drive-by download onto the user’s machine. If the web surfer is using an operating system or browser that is unpatched for the latest vulnerabilities, their machine is infected. |
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