Smut sites use IE exploit to spread spyware
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Drive-by downloads Hackers are taking advantage of a new, unpatched Internet Explorer vulnerability to infect users visiting pornographic websites.â¦
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IE exploit code could boost risk of browser mishaps. Microsoft says teamwork makes for better defenses.
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(InfoWorld) - Hackers are taking advantage of aÂ newly discovered vulnerability in Internet ExplorerÂ to install spyware on PCs that visit a number of Russian porn sites. The malware, first reported Monday by researchers at Sunbelt Software Inc., takes advantage of an unpatched flaw in the way IE processes Vector Markup Language (VML) code. VML is a language used to display graphic information on the Web. The attack appears to work on all versions of Windows running the IE 6 browser, said Eric Sites, Sunbelt's vice president of research and development. "It's not an operating system-dependent issue," he said. Sunbelt first discovered the malware on a Russian porn site late Friday. "This site and a couple of others use an exploit kit called Web Attacker, and it looks like the Web Attacker kit has been upgraded to include this new exploit," Sites said. Since Friday, Sunbelt noticed that the attack code has popped up on about a half-dozen Russian porn sites. In addition, since security researchers estimate that Web Attacker is used by nearly 1,000 Web sites, this latest exploit should soon become more widespread. Web Attacker is a software development kit sold for as little as US$20 to criminals looking for an easy way to develop malware. "Since it's being built into the next version of the Web Attacker kit, we expect that this thing will be everywhere in a few days," said Sites. Whether the attacks will be widespread enough for Microsoft to rush to patch the flaw remains to be seen. On Tuesday, Microsoft confirmed the Sunbelt team's findings, and said it planned to fix the VML bug in its next set of security patches, scheduled to be released on Oct. 10, "or sooner as warranted," according to a statement from the company's public relations agency. This is the second unpatched flaw found in IE over the past week. On Sept. 14, researchers posted code that could be used to exploit a different vulnerability in a multimedia component of Internet Explorer. Microsoft is still investigating that flaw and is not saying whether it too will be patched next month. Sunbelt says that users can avoid the VML attack by disabling Javascript on their browsers. More information can be found on the Sunbelt blog,Â located here.ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
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Recently discovered vulnerability allows hackers to use Web graphics to launch attacks.
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Stop us if you've heard this before Security experts warn a new, unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer might be used to spread malware. A flaw in Microsoft's Direct Animation Path (daxctle.ocx) ActiveX control, rated as critical by Secunia and other security watchers, has spawned proof of concept code but has not yet become the subject of widespread, hostile attack. Memory corruption is possible even on a fully patched Windows XP system.â¦
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How spyware, a program that creeps onto a computerÂs hard drive unannounced, is wrecking the Internet.
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A flaw in the way the Firefox and Opera browsers handle an image file could allow an attacker to see what Web sites a person has visited.
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Hundreds of porn sites are surprising users with exploits via Mpack, the hacker toolkit featured in 'Italian Job' attacks.
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Hackers can wield malicious Windows Media Player files to exploit any unpatched Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerability on a PC, even if IE isn't the browser of choice.
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Third-party fix plugs a recently discovered browser flaw that's increasingly being exploited in cyberattacks.
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(InfoWorld) - Hackers areÂ intensifying their attacks on Internet Explorer users, increasing the chances that Microsoft Corp. will patch a critical flaw in the software ahead of its regularly scheduled Oct. 10 security update. On Sunday, hackers released sample code showing how to exploit the IE flaw on a fully patched version of Windows XP, a move that security experts believe will step up the attacks.Â Criminals have been taking advantage of a previously unknown vulnerability in cPanel Inc. software, widely used by Web hosting providers, to install the IE malware on Web servers. The Microsoft bug has to do with the way IE processes Web-based graphics code written in the Vector Markup Language (VML). It wasÂ first reported Monday Sept. 18 by researchers at Sunbelt Software Inc., who found that attackers were exploiting this vulnerability on a number ofÂ pornographic Web sites. Late last week, attackers started spreading their attack code by taking advantage of a second flaw in cPanel's Web hosting administration software. This product is used by Web hosting providers to give their customers an easy way to administer their Web sites. Hackers were able to exploit this problem to gain access to servers at hosting provider HostGator.com LLC and began adding malicious VML exploit code to the Web pages of HostGator's clients, starting late Thursday. In fact, the attackers had used the cPanel flaw to gain control of HostGator's servers weeks before the VML vulnerability was disclosed, according to Brent Oxley, CEO of HostGator.com, based in Boca Raton, Florida. "They took control of as many servers as they could and they were building an army." Oxley said."They waited idly for a month and when the Microsoft exploit came out that's when they launched the attack." HostGator servers are used to host about 500,000 Web sites, but not all were compromised. Oxley estimated that "thousands" were, however, and said that a number of other hosting providers have also fallen victim to the cPanel attack. The cPanel flaw has now been patched and HostGator.com customers are no longer serving up the VML exploits, but security experts wonder how widespread the cPanel compromise has been. "It's a little worrisome that these hackers appeared to be targeting that piece of software," said Rich Miller, an analyst with Netcraft Inc. "It's very common among large hosting companies." Whether or not these latest developments are worrisome to Microsoft is unclear. The company declined to comment on the matter Monday, referring reporters to aÂ Friday blog postingÂ by Microsoft Security Response Center Operations Manager Scott Deacon in which he said that his company was increasingly confident on its ability to release an early patch.Â  "Thereâs been some confusion about that, that somehow attacks are dramatic and widespread," Deacon wrote Friday. "Weâre just not seeing that from our data, and our Microsoft Security Response Alliance partners arenât seeing that at all either," he said. "Of course, that could change at any moment," Deacon added. Sunbelt Software agreed that the VML bug has not yet been widely exploited, but Sunbelt Vice President of Research and Development Eric Sites predicted that Microsoft would release an early patch. "I think this week will be a lot more active because of the new proof-of-concept codes coming out," he said. On Monday, security researchers reported that attackers were staring to send out spam in hopes of luring victims to malicious Web sites. One attack tells victims that they've received a "Yahoo! Greeting Card," and invites them to click on a link. The link takes the victim to a Web site that installs code that collects information on the victim's online activity. More information on this attack can be foundÂ here. As a temporary workaround, Microsoft's has advised users to unregister the dll used to render VML images. Information on how to do this, along with otherÂ possible workarounds for the problem can be found here. Although it is not recommended by Microsoft, aÂ patch for the bug was released by a group of security researchers on Friday. ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
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User-generated Web content is becoming a target for hackers and cross-site scripting attacks on Web sites can lead to malware taking over the browsers of machines that use the sites.
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A new variant of the MyDoom worm that exploits an unpatched flaw in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer (IE) browser is in the wild and posing particular risk to home and small business users, security experts warned this week.
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Remote controlling spouses Spyware is becoming a tool of domestic abuse, according to security researchers.â¦
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Super Bowl host sites can infect visitors with malware.
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Honeypot project shows more than adult sites contain malicious threats.
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Recent months have been terrible for Internet Explorer. Their have been tons of bug and security flaw reported. So much so, many security agencies have started recommending people who surf online to shift to alternate browsers.