Video Websites Behind Greatest Threat of Malevolent Web-links; Kaspersky

Kaspersky Labs, which recently released its 2011 Security Bulletin, states that video entertainment websites like YouTube pose the maximum danger to Web-surfers of encountering malevolent web-links, with 31% of the chances accounted from YouTube alone. The company outlines the developmental changes to spam and other IT threats.

Interestingly, Kaspersky's report further references to the suspicious web-links that widely prevailed across open-access websites, as well as outlines the still continuing utilization of BHSEO (black-hat search engine optimization) based malware, and spam on social-networking websites.

Notably, with BHSEO attacks, search engines were on No.2 in initiating redirects, at 22%, to malware-infested websites when surfers occasionally clicked on malevolent web-links while using the Yandex and Google type of prominent search engines.

Also, on No.3, were social networks with 21% of chances in producing redirects. Websites such as Vkontakte and Facebook especially proved favorable to malevolent users in popularly disseminating damaging items.

Subsequently, the report as well talks about the proportion in which Web-based assaults increased. Accordingly these, during 2011, accounted for 1.63 times more of the aggregate in 2010, indicating a far declining growth rate in Web-based assaults compared to that of the last 3-yrs.

In Kaspersky's opinion, this declining growth rate is because of the mal-intended people who, during 2011, didn't apply any basic techniques of bulk-infection while executing computer attacks.

In addition, there hasn't been any crucial evidence about striking alterations to existing situations; therefore, the security company anticipates the continuous slowdown of the Web-based assaults' growth prior to the stabilization of the attempted assault count.

Furthermore, the latest Security Bulletin research paper states that, during 2011, the total number of assaults against Web-browsers rose from 580,371 to 946,393,693. Exploit kits continued to be the chief tool for browser-related infections with which drive-by download assaults were launched even as the victims remained unaware. Additionally, during the past 2-yrs, the Incognito and BlackHole attack kits, sold illegally, proved extremely favorable for cyber-criminals who immediately adopted them, making the duo 2 of the 5 maximally utilized exploit packs. The business, as per the paper, is nearly wholly developed with affiliate schemes that hackers establish.

Related article: Video tributes: New Way to Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 3/12/2012