90% of Malicious Software Implanted on Genuine Websites: Blue Coat

The Sunnyvale, California (US) based security company Blue Coat Systems, which recently released a research, states that attacks with malicious software are becoming increasingly advanced, while 90% of such harmful software was implanted on genuine websites, which Web-surfers accessed daily during 2010.

Revealed the security company, the malware assaults were extensively abandoning free domains for familiar websites that were trustworthy as also which had use category at favorable ratings.

Director, Product and Solution Marketing (Asia-Pacific), Jonathan Andersen at Blue Coat, while remarking about this latest development, which's speedily becoming widespread on the Internet stated that cyber-criminals targeted places that were increasingly accessed and browsed. Zdnetasia.com published this on February 23, 2011.

Further, given as Andersen stated it was therefore no longer sufficient for advising Web-surfers for being vigilant of dubious sites alone rather they require being equally watchful of sites, which they think are legitimate.

Moreover, the research's outcomes further reveal that during 2010, cyber-crime effectively abused users' faith amongst friends to fast contaminate as well as dig fresh victims. Also, click-jacking assaults and phishing on social networks comprised the two extremely frequent kinds of assaults via social-networking websites during 2010. Criminals, who largely attempted at acquiring sensitive credentials of users, so they could illegally gain admission into people's financial, banking as also other Internet accounts, essentially moved their phishing attacks onto social-networking sites.

Besides, previously, malware was concealed within categories which favorable use rules blocked. Nevertheless, Online Storage as also Open/Mixed Content that came on No. 2 and 6 respectively among the most visited websites hosting malware grew the maximum during 2010. Reportedly, there was a 13% rise in the total count of fresh Online Storage websites that supported malware, while Open/Mixed Content websites supporting malware and emerging fresh rose at the rate of 29%. Incidentally, both these kinds of websites largely come under favorable use rules so far as most organizations are concerned, the research outlines.

Meanwhile, Blue Coat indicates that signature-based and reputed security software have been successful at fighting Web-assaults; however, these mechanisms aren't any longer that reliable in the wake of modern malware threats undergoing rapid changes.

Related article: “Loopholes did not cause online banking thefts”: ICBC

» SPAMfighter News - 3/3/2011