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Attack Tookits as the Basis Behind 60% Web Threats Last Year

In a report by Symantec, "Attack Toolkits and Malicious Websites", nearly two-thirds of web-based crime last year was resultant due to botnets and exploit code that were built by reputed attack toolkits. Underground economy was functionalized for trading these toolkits, as published in the news by networld on January 18, 2011.

Attack toolkits are destructive code tools launched extensively with the mission of hacking personal information related to bank account numbers and passwords and in worst case even converting networked computers into botnets. According to the report, cyber crooks purchases these malicious toolkits through online black market.

The most differentiating factor of the attack toolkits from the other malwares is their simple usability. As per the new report, a lot of cyber attacks were resultant due to attack toolkits.

According to the Director of Security Technology and Response Division in Symantec, Gerry Egan, attack toolkits even triggered criminals, who have least idea about online malicious crime, as published in infosecurity on January 18, 2011.

According to the report, the usage of most widespread toolkits identified on malicious websites is as follows: MPack (48%), NeoSploit (31%) and Zeus (19%).

Attack toolkits can be divided into two main types. Among them, cybercriminals mostly use the one that helps them in setting up a website to host innumerable exploitations, which will only fall when a user visit that particular site.

According to Senior Manager, Orla Cox from Symantec, the motive behind this toolkit is to be getting paid each time a fake anti-virus is dropped into the machine or in other terms, pay-per-install schemes, as reports published by v3 on January 18, 20011.

By the second type of toolkit, cyber criminals are permitted to create their own malware as in Zeus, though it requires a hosting site or some other way to enter the users' PCs.

Cox concluded that both these types of kits have made extensive launch of such attacks by which cyber criminals can really make a lot of money.

Related article: Attacks On IM And Chinese malware On The Rise

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