Figure 1 typical sequence of events in a driveby download attack. In addition, driveby download attacks have given birth to an exploitasaservice eaas 31 model in which browser exploits including zerodays are sold in the underground market. A driveby download attack happens when a visitor goes to a website or reads an html email and malware is downloaded from the site to their system without permission or. Defending against driveby downloads help net security. Driveby downloads are malicious pieces of software that are downloaded to a computer, tablet or smartphone when the user views a compromised web page or an htmlbased email message that links to a. Such attacks are called driveby downloads because they require no action on the part of the victim beyond simply visiting the compromised web site. A drive by download refers to the unintentional download of malicious code to your computer or mobile device that leaves you open to a cyberattack. These elements can range from malicious javascript code injects, to malvertisements, malicious redirects, crosssite scripting attacks also known as xss, malicious iframes that execute invisibly or other subtle attack techniques that potential victims cant spot on their own.
What you should know about driveby download attacks part 2. Sample driveby download occurrence video so we have a website at a domain that we put up, called willinglydumb. Weak driveby download attack with radio exploit kit 20190715 first. A driveby download is a program that is automatically installed on your computer when youre visiting a boobytrapped website or viewing a html email message. What is a driveby download attack and how does it work. Apr 15, 2018 drive by downloads attack description. What you need to know about driveby cyber attacks fox. Despite the relative sophistication of these attacks, there are many. A driveby download is a program that is automatically downloaded to your computer without your consent or even your knowledge.
When creating a driveby download, an attacker must first create their malicious content to perform the attack. Drive by downloads are one of the most effective and sneaky ways of spreading malware, yet few people know they even exist. When a computer becomes infected with malicious software simply by visiting a website, its known as a driveby download. What you should know about driveby download attacks part 1. The industry calls this type of attack a driveby download because the user doesnt have to stop or click anywhere on the malicious page. Remember the days when security awareness programs only had to warn employees about website spoofing. You dont have to stop or click anywhere on the malicious page to cause the infection simply viewing the page is enough, for the attack happens in the.
Prevent driveby downloads and related malware attacks. Lurk, a cybercriminal group infamous for their stealthy and fileless infection techniques, exploited web browser vulnerabilities. Unlike many other types of cyberattack, a driveby doesnt rely on the user to do anything to actively enable the attack. This script may install malware directly onto the computer of someone who visits the site, or it may take the form on an iframe that redirects the victim to a site.
The motive behind building caas including eaas is to provide easy access to crimeware. Understand the concept of drivebydownloads learn about the operation and expansion of botnets learn how drivebydownloads are chosen by attackers learn about drivebydownload prevention in a drivebydownload attack, the web application is tampered i. You dont have to click on anything, press download, or open a malicious email attachment to become infected. Driveby downloads happen when an attacker tricks the users browser into downloading some malware without any interaction or warning. A drive by download abuses insecure, vulnerable, or outdated apps, browsers, or even operating systems. Most of the time, these are legitimate websites that have been compromised to redirect you to another site controlled by the hackers stage 2.
The cyber security glossary for safe online experiences. Ideally, you have another pc or device that is used to surf the web, and a dedicated device for other secure tasks. A driveby download refers to the unintentional download of malicious code to. Lurk, a cybercriminal group infamous for their stealthy and fileless infection techniques, exploited web browser vulnerabilities for their drive by. These kinds of attacks, known as driveby downloads, can be tailored to use exploits the spammer knows you are vulnerable to thanks to the information reply frage zu drive by downloads topx chip. A driveby attack will usually take advantage of or exploit a browser, app, or operating system that is out of date and has a security flaw. A driveby download abuses insecure, vulnerable, or outdated apps, browsers, or even operating systems. In a typical drive by download attack the victims visit a compromised website that redirects their browsers to an. When creating a drive by download, an attacker must first create their malicious content to perform the attack. With the rise in exploit packs that contain the vulnerabilities needed to carry out driveby download attacks, the skill level needed to perform this attack has been reduced. These malwares are downloaded into the users computer in a manner invisible to user. The term driveby download describes how malware can infect your computer simply by visiting a website that is running malicious code stage 1.
Driveby download attack on facebook used malicious ads. One major cause is the growing number of driveby download attacks. Log data, flow data, full packet capture, and endpoint data are all key technologies needed to piece together the attack, find the root cause, and ultimately determine the impact to the business. This script may install malware directly onto the computer of someone who visits the site, or it may take the form on an iframe that redirects. Sep 02, 2014 hackers make drive by download attacks stealthier with fileless infections. We called this a driveby attack, because the user was linked directly to a file downloadnot a website where they had to click on a link or presented with a dialog that warned them a file would be downloaded, raymond canzanese, an architect at netskope, told security ledger. A drive by download can take advantage of an app or web browser that contains security flaws. Anatomy of driveby download attack semantic scholar. This is a classic case of a driveby download attack. During such attacks, welldesigned automated applications called browser exploit packs beps are deployed on infected servers.
Understand the concept of drive by downloads learn about the operation and expansion of botnets learn how drive by downloads are chosen by attackers learn about drive by download prevention in a drive by download attack, the web application is tampered i. As a result, keeping your operating system and its apps up to date helps minimize the risk of a driveby download attack. Using an ad blocker will help you reduce your exposure to this type of attacks. A driveby download will usually take advantage of or exploit a browser, app, or operating system that is out of date and has a security flaw. April 2017 protection test against driveby download attacks. The drive by download attack drive by download attacks occur when a visitor navigates to a site that injects malware onto the victims pc. This technet article features steps for developers and it professionals to be taken for managing the risk related to drive by download attacks. In driveby download attacks, attackers compromise websites and embed malicious elements inside. Oct 16, 2017 how a drive by download attack locked down entire city for 4 days october 16, 2017 mohit kumar we dont really know the pain and cost of a downtime event unless we are directly touched. Unlike many other types of cyberattack, a drive by doesnt rely on the user to do anything to actively enable the attack. The term drive by download describes how malware can infect your computer simply by visiting a website that is running malicious code stage 1. Drive by download attacks where web browsers are subverted by malicious content delivered by web servers have become a common attack vector in recent years. Antivirus vendor trend micro recently detected a driveby download attack on facebook that used malicious advertisements to infect users with malware. How a driveby download attack locked down entire city for 4 days.
Geekbuddy answers your security related questions comodo. Nov 08, 2016 driveby download attacks often use online ads as infections vectors. The authors featureoriented study analyzes the builtin features provided by beps used in the successful execution of driveby downloads. As a result, keeping your operating system and its apps up to date helps minimize the risk of a drive by download attack. According to data from kaspersky lab and others in the security industry, we are in the midst of a largescale driveby download epidemic. The drivebydownload attack drivebydownload attacks occur when a visitor navigates to a site that injects malware onto the victims pc. This malware delivery technique is stealthy in how it is triggered simply because you visited a website. A successful drive by download attack involves multiple stages, each of which requires a different level of visibility across the enterprise. A driveby download can take advantage of an app, operating system, or web browser that contains security flaws due to unsuccessful updates or lack of updates. In part one of this twopart series, i focused on how driveby download attacks work. Lurk, a cybercriminal group infamous for their stealthy and fileless infection techniques, exploited web browser vulnerabilities for their driveby.
A driveby download refers to the unintentional download of malicious code to your computer or mobile device that leaves you open to a cyberattack. How can i make my employees more aware of these threats. A successful driveby download attack involves multiple stages, each of which requires a different level of visibility across the enterprise. Detection of driveby download attacks is an active area of research. Special thanks to oscar beltran for providing additional research. On december 4, 2019, we discovered watering hole websites that were compromised to selectively trigger a driveby download attack with fake adobe flash update warnings. And when we enter the url into the web browser, we will see that the page will load, and it will load its login page but there is a malicious iframe 3 on this page and it basically invokes a vulnerability in the acrobat reader process, so you will see in the left side. Hackers make driveby download attacks stealthier with fileless infections. Since july 11 2019, we have observed a new driveby download attack.
When a visitor browses to a site hosting an ek, the kit uses all of its exploits to attempt to compromise the visitors system and install malware, including ransomware. Simply viewing the content triggers the download automatically. A driveby download can take advantage of an app or web browser that contains security flaws. A drive by download can take advantage of an app, operating system, or web browser that contains security flaws due to unsuccessful updates or lack of updates. The malicious program is downloaded to your computer without your consent or knowledge, without your having to click on a link on th. What you should know about driveby download attacks.
Driveby download campaign targets chinese websites. The infections are invisible to the user, and range from malicious javascript code to iframes, links, redirects, malvertisements, crosssite scripting, and other malicious elements. Finding victims that are vulnerable to a driveby download attack via an exploit kit isnt that difficult, either. Driveby downloads are a common technique used by attackers to silently install malware on a victims computer. A driveby download refers to the unintentional download of a virus or malicious software malware onto your computer or mobile device. Drive by downloads are a common method of spreading malware. Once a target website has been weaponized with some form of exploit typically browser or plugin exploits, hidden iframes, and javascript, among. This malware steals data from a victims machine and sends the stolen data to a mysql server controlled by the.
In our very first episode we talked about drive by downloads and how they can infect your machine in just milliseconds after arriving at the site. With the rise in exploit packs that contain the vulnerabilities needed to carry out drive by download attacks, the skill level needed to perform this attack has been reduced. The malicious program is downloaded to your computer without your consent or knowledge, without your having to click on a link on the page or in the email. Dec 12, 2011 in part one of this twopart series, i focused on how driveby download attacks work. Web pages that host driveby download attacks, and malware hosting sites, are found all over the world in different. However, javascript code is also used to carry out attacks against the users browser and its extensions. In case you havent heard the term before, a driveby download dbd is a class of cyber attack where you visit a boobytrapped web site and it automatically, and silently, downloads and. In a driveby download attack, criminals compromise a website, often a legitimate one, by embedding or injecting malicious objects inside the web pages. People tend to use the same browser, plugins, and apps, and crucially, many of them reckon that keeping all that software uptodate is a nuisance that doesnt really bring any discernible benefits.
Over 318,000 android users affected by autodownloading. Steps you can take to protect your assets from a driveby download attack. As the figure indicates, there may be any number of redirections to different sites before the exploit is actually downloaded. But in the latest volume of the report, volume 15, we published some new data that we havent included in the report before the relative prevalence of driveby download sites hosted on different web server platforms. A driveby download is a type of cyber attack that targets a person through their internet browser, installing malware on their pc as soon as they visit an infected. Dec, 2011 recently i blogged about how attackers are forcing users to download fake codecs to spread malicious content. Heres an explanation of what they are, and how you can protect yourself. Security experts also recommend installing a highquality internet security tool to help identify and prevent drive by download attacks on your computer. Weak driveby download attack with radio exploit kit. How driveby download attacks work from disbelief to protection. A number of drivebydownload attacks are infiltrating systems by methods as simple as prompting users to click to close a popup window. It wont eliminate the risk entirely, because, as youve seen in the beginning, driveby attacks come in many shapes and sizes, but it will make your system safer.
This type of cyberattack can infect your pc with malware without you even doing anything. This campaign has been active since at least may 2019, and targets an. Detection and analysis of drivebydownload attacks and. Unfortunately, cyberattack methods have advanced to the point where even trusted, wellknown websites can silently infect users via driveby download attacks. Drive by download attacks are one of the trickiest forms of malware around these days. Driveby downloads and how to prevent them lastline. How a driveby download attack locked down entire city for. How driveby download attacks work from disbelief to. During our web crawls we sometimes come across bizarre findings or patterns we havent seen before. Hackers make driveby download attacks stealthier with.
Driveby download attacks are a prominent attack method in support of this cause. Last years incident is a good example of this growing internet threat. Driveby downloads are malware on compromised web pages that install potentially harmful software. We have included data on driveby download attacks in numerous past volumes of the microsoft security intelligence report.
I hope that this guide has helped you get a better idea of how driveby download attacks work and what you can do to shelter your devices and data from them. It happens when an unintentional download of malicious code to your computer or mobile device leaves you open to a cyberattack. A drive by download is a type of cyber attack that targets a person through their internet browser, installing malware on their pc as soon as they visit an infected. It is a malware installing technique which is initiated when a user clicks on some popup messages. This was the case with a particular driveby download attack planted on chinese websites. This data will give you an idea of the types of software attackers are targeting in driveby download attacks. Additional tips for avoiding driveby download attacks. Oct 15, 2014 remember the days when security awareness programs only had to warn employees about website spoofing. In a typical driveby download attack the victims visit a compromised website that redirects their browsers to an.
A drive by download attack happens when a visitor goes to a website or reads an html email and malware is downloaded from the site to their system without permission or knowledge. Driveby downloads are a common technique used by attackers to silently install malware. Web pages that host drive by download attacks, and malware hosting sites, are found all over the world in different. They are used in driveby download attacks that target the visitors of a website. Feb 01, 20 in our very first episode we talked about drive by downloads and how they can infect your machine in just milliseconds after arriving at the site. This technet article features steps for developers and it professionals to be taken for managing the risk related to driveby download attacks. In a typical attack scenario, the threat actors objective is to compromise the victims machine and enlist it into a. Driveby downloads generally take advantage of security flaw exploits on browsers, apps, or operating systems that are out of date and havent been patched for the security flaws.
One major cause is the growing number of drive by download attacks. Ive also encountered across another drive by download attack vector, which uses java applets to execute downloaded malicious content on the victims machine. How a driveby download attack locked down data of this city for 4 days. Additional tips for avoiding drive by download attacks. Driveby download means two things, each concerning the unintended download of computer. Its also a good idea to use an adblocker, as driveby download attacks often. In the infection phase of an attack, the exploit kit downloads what is known as a payload, which is the malware that installs itself on your. These attacks usually result in the download of additional malware that takes complete control of the victims platform, and are, therefore, called drive by downloads. Spear phishing attack an overview sciencedirect topics. While by no means advanced it turned out to be fairly buggy, we witnessed a threat actor experimenting with several different exploits to drop malware. However, each proposed method uses different content. Some methods of detection involve anomaly detection, which tracks for state. Driveby downloads are a common method of spreading malware. A drive by download is a program that is automatically downloaded to your computer without your consent or even your knowledge.
Dec 08, 2011 this data will give you an idea of the types of software attackers are targeting in drive by download attacks. Unfortunately, cyberattack methods have advanced to the point where even trusted, wellknown websites can silently infect users vi a driveby download attack s. This is not an uncommon riska small company or organisation website. Several methods for the detection of malicious content on web pages using data mining techniques to classify web pages as malicious or benign have been proposed in the literature. In many cases the driveby download is initiated by code. This is the best way to limit exposure to online malware, particularly one that is spread via drive by download attacks. Crucially, these attacks are usually downloaded and run in the background in a manner that is invisible to the user and without the user taking any conscious action steps to initiate the attack. The industry calls this type of attack a drive by download because the user doesnt have to stop or click anywhere on the malicious page.
A driveby attack is the unintentional download of a virus or malicious software malware onto your system. These attacks can be complicated because they can use multiple levels of redirection enabling components of an attack to be hosted on compromised systems in different parts of the world. Driveby downloads are one of the most effective and sneaky ways of spreading malware, yet few people know they even exist. Cybercriminals constantly update their malware to evade detection. A number of drive by download attacks are infiltrating systems by methods as simple as prompting users to click to close a popup window. Preventing driveby downloads almost any web content can initiate this kind of attack. Although its believed the attack only lasted a couple of days, the driveby download leveraged a flash vulnerability to hit political and economic targets.
1108 842 1275 1344 991 673 477 59 110 384 402 885 1098 325 214 472 1392 981 548 1355 595 1569 250 859 32 1393 714 1081 1272 1233 527 1129 1462 540 776 1059 206 1339 559 1312 83 1224