Mass compromise powers massive drive-by download attack

Invasion of the password snatchers
By John Leyden
Thursday 13th March 2008 12:10 GMT

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More than 10,000 web pages have been booby trapped with malware in one of the largest attacks of its kind to date.

Compromised web pages include travel sites, government websites, and hobbyist sites that have been modified with JavaScript code that silently redirects visitors to a site in China under the control of hackers.

Miscreants likely reprogrammed the web pages after scanning the net for insecure servers.

The malware cocktail attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in Windows, RealPlayer, and other applications to break into insecure PCs, according to an analysis by net security firm McAfee.

Components of the malware attempt to steal passwords to online games while others leave a back door that allows the installation of additional malicious programs. …

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