Ten Trending Cyberthreat Attacks In 2013 Ransomware is hijacking systems in greater numbers, and AutoRun malware infections, spread by thumb drives, are also rising, according to McAfee’s latest threat report.Malware has risen sharply over the last three quarters, according to the McAfee Threat Report: Second Quarter 2013. McAfee said it currently has more than 147 million malware samples. Spam is also on the rise, helping spread malware and phishing attacks. Mobile threats are also increasing, including new backdoor Trojans and banking malware targeting mobile devices this quarter. Malware that uses stolen digital certificates to pose as legitimate software increased by 50 percent. In addition, Web-based attacks, designed to target vulnerable browser components comprise almost three-fourths of the Internet’s malicious activity. Here’s a look at the latest attack trends and hacking techniques. AutoRun malware AutoRun malware, a longstanding threat targeting Microsoft PCs using malware on thumb drives, doubled at the start of the year. Microsoft addressed the issue years ago, but it continues to target PCs that haven’t been patched with the latest security updates. Kaspersky Lab recently analyzed two new JavaScript worms that are both designed to spread using AutoRun functionality. Once a corporate network is infected, the worms are difficult to wipe out because they quickly spread by copying themselves into the root folders of logical volumes of removable storage media and network disks. Once a corporate network is infected, JavaScript worms are difficult to wipe out as they copy themselves into the root folders of logical volumes of removable storage media Rootkits in decline Rootkits which are designed to evade detection and remain on victim’s systems for a lengthy period of time, continue to decline. According to the McAfee report the rootkits have been trending downwards since the middle of 2011. The rootkit itself is only designed to remain stealthy, but it typically contains other malware, such as keyloggers, designed to record keystrokes, and password stealers. Rootkits are also used to bring an infected machine into a larger botnet. ZeroAccess is the most prevalent rootkit, according to recent studies. According to Sophos, ZeroAccess is often connected to popular exploit toolkits including Blackhole. It is used to fuel click-fraud campaigns and spread spam. Mobile spyware rising Security vendors have been increasingly labeling freely available Android applications as spyware due to their behavior of uploading SMS messages, call logs and location information to a remote server without informing the device owner. The threat is increasing. The Shamoon malware contains destructive functionality, giving cybercriminals the ability to erase the entire hard drive of a victim’s system and the servers of businesses One of the latest attacks detected by the company uses a mobile app that masquerades as a legitimate font installer app for Android devices. Another threat pretends to be software for syncing a user’s phone. A recent report by Lookout Mobile Security tied mobile spyware activity to Russian cybercriminal gangs. An affiliate network has earned some attackers up to $12,000 a month. Master boot record malware Master boot record malware, which can add malicious functions when a user starts up the PC, declined slightly in the second quarter, but it remains at a level that is the second-highest figure McAfee has recorded. One high-profile malware called Shamoon targets Windows NT systems and was used in the attacks on Saudi oil production firm Aramco. The attacks are dangerous because the malware contains destructive functionality, giving cybercriminals the ability to erase the entire hard drive of a victim’s system and the servers of businesses. The attacks prompted security experts to call for system redundancy and offline backups of critical systems and files.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 08:53:25 +0000
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