Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Exploit Kit Uses Adobe Zero-Day to Compromise PCs

    By
    Robert Lemos
    -
    January 22, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      software flaw

      Attackers are actively compromising Windows systems using an exploit for a previously unknown vulnerability in Adobe’s Flash software, according to an analysis of attack traffic by a researcher known as Kafeine.

      The attack, confirmed by security firms Symantec and Malwarebytes, is part of a suite of exploits included in the Angler exploit kit, software sold by malware developers to cyber-criminals. The software first attempts to use two older exploits to infect systems through known vulnerabilities in Adobe’s Flash Player, and if those fail, uses the new attack, Kafeine wrote in a terse analysis of the attack.

      “Disabling Flash player for some days might be a good idea,” the reseacher stated.

      The attack appears to work on the latest version of Flash running on Microsoft Windows 8.1, the researcher stated in an update on Jan. 22. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox Web browsers both appear to be affected, while Google’s Chrome does not.

      Because it affects even the most recent version of Windows, the vulnerability should be considered a high priority to fix, Jerome Segura, senior security researcher at Malwarebytes Labs, stated in an email interview.

      “The attack surface is huge, which means that the infection rates per exposure are going to be really high compared to vulnerabilities that have already been patched,” he said.

      Exploit kits are common attack tools used by less technical criminals to compromise and install malicious software on victim’s systems. The kits typically collect a number of exploitation techniques for ubiquitous software, such as Java, Microsoft Office and, increasingly, Adobe Flash. In the past, vulnerability researchers and malware authors targeted Adobe Flash and its estimated 1 billion installations, but for the past few years, vulnerabilities in Java have garnered the most attention. That appears to be changing, Kafeine noted.

      Systems compromised by this particular campaign will be infected with click-fraud software and a downloader. Click-fraud software uses the compromised systems to issue impressions—”clicks”—to advertising networks, which results in the criminals getting paid an affiliate fee through the advertising network.

      “Unfortunately it is very hard to tell apart real users from fake ones and advertisers essentially end up paying for ‘impressions’ or ‘clicks’ where a human being was never involved,” Malwarebytes stated in a blog post on the issue.

      While click-fraud may not directly impact the owner of the infected system, the attack also installs a downloader, which allows the attacker to install additional — and likely, more malicious — software at a later date.

      Anyone using an older version of Windows should consider removing Flash from their system until a patch is provided.

      “The danger of any zero-day is that there is no patch in existence, so I would recommend caution from web users until a confirmation and update is issued,” Pedro Bustamante, director of Special Projects at Malwarebytes, said in a statement sent to eWEEK. “We would also urge people to update security software.”

      Researcher Kafeine confirmed that the attack worked on Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8 running Internet Explorer, up to version 10, and Firefox version 35.

      Adobe acknowledged the report, but could not immediately confirm the issue. “We are aware of the report and are investigating,” a spokesperson stated.

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered information security, cybercrime and technology's impact on society for almost two decades. A former research engineer, he's written for Ars Technica, CNET, eWEEK, MIT Technology Review, Threatpost and ZDNet. He won the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm and its impact, and the SANS Institute's Top Cybersecurity Journalists in 2010 and 2014.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×