Russia Ruling Malware Exploit Kit Market

The latest report from M86 Security reveals that Russia is the leading market for automated malware exploit kits which are widely sold over the Internet to data thieves and phishers.

According to the report, novel malware exploit kits, like Fragus and Adpack, are being sold in bulk in Russia. With over a dozen surfacing in the past six months (October 2009 to March 2010), a huge increase in the complexity and size of these exploit kits has been noticed, said the firm.

Operators of malware creation kits usually implant their own or third-party malware, such as fake anti-virus software alerts and scareware, developed to trick users into instantly divulging their banking or credit card information.

M86 Security Labs further noted that in majority of cases, the malware implanted is a variant of a bot, which allows the hackers to control the compromised host machine. The hackers can then easily install keyloggers on the system, which trace and record each keystroke and help them in stealing confidential log-in details of the user.

Security experts said that these exploit kits are commonly used due to their comparatively low prices and the convenience with which hackers use them for stealing passwords and other sensitive data.

Bradley Anstis, vice president of technology strategy, M86 Security, said that attacks could now be launched even without knowing the code, and there is now the infrastructure to pay the attacker for each exploit achieved, as per the news published by V3.co.uk on April 29, 2010.

Anstis added that an application is literally associated with every attack kit and this is leading to radical rise in online threats like zero-day attacks and spam as new kits exploit are emerging every single day.

These attack kits normally come in the price range of around $400 to $1,000 and additional hosting services are usually offered in case the main website of the attacker has been taken down. For instance, by infecting 1,000 PCs in the US, the attacker would earn net $170 against $110 in the UK and $50 in Australia and Europe each.

It is noteworthy that various other security software companies, including Symantec and McAfee, have also recognized malware exploit kits as one of the fastest growing and most dangerous threats that is confronting the online security at present.

Related article: RSA Attendees Responsible for Wireless Vulnerability

» SPAMfighter News - 5/11/2010