Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 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
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 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 Applications
    • Applications
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management

    Malware Maelstrom Coming from Russia with Love

    By
    Brian Prince
    -
    August 2, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      A resurgence of malware activity in Russia has caught the eye of security vendors.

      Recently, researchers at Trend Micro have found a Russian server hosting some 400 pieces of malware that may be part of a forthcoming large-scale attack, while at least one other vendor reported that the country has quickly moved back up on the list of purveyors of Web-based malware.

      Paul Ferguson, network architect at Trend Micro, in Cupertino, Calif., said the company ran across the server, which had a “cornucopia of new malware,” the week of July 23. During an investigation, researchers found there were Web sites with malicious iFrames proxying requests for the malware. The Web sites all had Italian-sounding names and Italian content, but actually resided in a hosting facility in Germany, he said.

      An iFrame is an HTML element that makes it possible to embed another HTML document inside the main document. In this case, the iFrames are believed to have been deliberately inserted by the owners of the Web sites to snare unsuspecting visitors as part of a porn-for-pay scam, Ferguson said.

      “Looking at these massive samples of malware, we cant help [but] think that theres something brewing in Russia,” wrote researcher Carolyn Guevarra in a blog posting on Trend Micros Web site. “We have just seen these cyber-criminals pull the Italian Job recently.”

      The operation dubbed “the Italian Job” by Trend Micro researchers involved some 10,000 Web sites with malicious code that redirected visitors to a server booby-trapped with drive-by exploits. The attack used Italian Web sites more than others.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifClick here to read about a survey that shows how pervasive malware distribution has become.

      Researchers at Sophos, headquartered in Abingdon, England, have also reported a rise in Web-based malware from Russia. The companys experts noted in a report about the top 10 Web and e-mail-borne threats for July 2007 that the number of malware-infected Web pages hosted by Russia has increased substantially between June and July, jumping from 3.5 to 14.7 percent.

      “This can be explained by the large number of Mal/iFrame and Mal/ObfJS-infected Web pages in Russia that have been compromised to serve as drive-by sites,” the report said.

      The Sophos report put China at the top of the list with 49.8 percent and the United States in second place with 21.8 percent.

      Malware numbers are growing rapidly, in particular adware, spyware and stealthy, targeted attacks, according to officials at McAfee, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. In 2000, McAfee Avert Labs counted about 50,000 unique malicious items. That jumped to 100,000 in 2003, and in August 2006, the 200,000 mark was reached. McAfee officials said they expect to see the 300,000th unique piece of malicious software, such as worms, viruses or Trojans, this week.

      “This statistic underscores how the malware market has shifted from fame to fortune,” said Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager for McAfee Avert Labs. “Bots, adware, spyware and other attacks make up an over $100 billion global market for cyber-crime—surpassing drug trafficking as a global issue from a monetary perspective.”

      Check out eWEEK.coms Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEKs Security Watch blog.

      Brian Prince
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      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
      Applications

      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
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      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.
      © 2022 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.

      ×