Hackers are getting more and more clever, it seems, as they use ever-more convoluted methods to ensnare Internet users into their web of malware and revenue-sapping nastiness.
A blog item from our colleagues over at Sophos reveals the latest malware injection attack that has infected thousands of Web sites with malicious iFrames.
Whilst iFrames are nothing new - Finjan reported this attack methodology as coming top in its attack charts in 2007 - this particular attack hides itself behind a Javascript loading event.
And to rake in the punters, one of the first sites to be hit was that of music legend Van Morrison whose albums have been going through something of a resurgence lately.
Since the Van Morrison site was infected on October 22, several thousand other sites have been hit, with some of the infections using more than obfuscated (hidden) code to hide their tracks.
The process by which these latest iFrame Web site attacks is complex, but irrelevant - what matters is that visiting these sites when routed by friendly-looking emails can result in an infection being passed down.
Whilst Web site exploitation is nothing new in the world of malware attacks, the use of multiple attack vectors - such as hidden code, with the infection itself hiding behind a Javascript event - signals a new trend in malware infection methodology.
Why is this happening?
Simples, as the insurance TV advert says - cybercriminals want your money. They want it badly and they will go to enormous lengths to infect your machine and grab your monetising credentials.
These credentials can include Paypal and e-banking details, payment card information and even emailing lists to suck in other hapless Internet users with friendly emails from the `infected' users' PC.
So what can users do to protect themselves?
The solution is to update - and keep updating - your browser plugin software such as Adobe Reader, Flash Player and Java - and also update your mainstream applications such as MS-Office and, of course, Windows.
You should also beware any emails with URLs in them. Even from friendly sources. If you download Finjan's SecureBrowser you'll be accessing data from millions of users worldwide to help protect from potentially bad Web sites.
But if you get a helpful URL email from a friend, relative or colleague who hasn't sent you a URL before, think very carefully before clicking on that message.
Even if s/he shows good taste in music...
Subscribe