Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • 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
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • 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
    Subscribe
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Java Exploit Added to Crimeware Kits Soon After Discovery

    Written by

    Robert Lemos
    Published January 11, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Security experts are again calling for users to disable the Java browser plug-in and uninstall the software on their systems, following the discovery of a zero-day vulnerability in the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment.

      Information about the vulnerability emerged Dec. 10, after a security professional discovered an exploit using the security hole to compromise systems. The vulnerability, which appears to only affect Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.7 and not prior versions, had not previously been known but appears to be similar to other Java security issues found in August 2012, said Jaime Blasco, labs manager at security-monitoring provider AlienVault.

      The vulnerability allows a piece of Java code to break out, or escape, from the protected software container, or sandbox, that is a critical part of Java’s security model, said Blasco, who had verified that the exploit worked.

      “The most important thing about this is that it is a sandbox escape, not a memory exploitation or something similar, so most of the mitigations are not effective,” he said.

      The security professional who published details about the exploit, France-based security manager Charlie Hurel, worried that remaining quiet about the issue could lead to a large number of compromises.

      “Hundreds of thousands of hits daily where I found it,” he wrote in the alert. “This could be … mayhem.”

      Last year, an academic paper by security researchers at Symantec found that stealthy attacks using unreported vulnerabilities can remain undiscovered for 10 months. Soon after such exploits are discovered, use of the attacks skyrocket as cyber-criminals add the exploits to their tool boxes.

      That’s exactly what happened with the latest Java vulnerability. By the end of day, security researchers confirmed that at least seven exploit kits—the underground software that allows cyber-criminals to quickly create illicit campaigns to steal money—had incorporated attacks that prey on the vulnerability.

      The major exploit kits that had a variant of the attack included the Blackhole, Cool TK, Nuclear Pack and Sakura exploit kits. In addition, the Metasploit project, which develops a free penetration tool with frequent updates for the latest exploits, published its own module last night to exploit the flaw as well.

      “This is just as bad as the last five (vulnerabilities in Java),” said HD Moore, chief security officer at vulnerability-management firm Rapid7 and the founder of the Metasploit project. “Within an hour, we had working code.”

      About 13 percent of users are currently using Java 1.7 and so are vulnerable to the latest attack. Users of older versions—including Mac OS X users—are not necessarily safe, however, as a bevy of older attacks will likely work against their systems.

      Unlike last year’s Flashback Trojan attack that used a flaw in Java to infect victims’ systems, the latest attack is being used to spread a different form of malware: “ransomware.” The scheme, which typically uses malware to lock a user’s machine until they pay a fee, quickly spread across Europe to North America last year.

      “We are talking about huge amounts of money here,” said Bogdan Botezatu, senior threat analyst for security firm BitDefender. “And as long as they can make easy money, they will keep this up.”

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning 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.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      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.
      © 2024 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.