Attacks Through Browsers Are Rising, Microsoft Says

Attacks on operating systems may be decreasing since last year, but attacks on applications, incidents of malware, and unwanted software are rising and account for 90 percent of vulnerabilities, according to the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, released Saturday.


The amount of malware and unwanted software removed from computers increased 43 percent in the first half of the year, according to the 150-page report, now in its fifth installment. Thirty percent of that malware was Trojan-based, usually in the form of a computer worm or virus disguised as another application that erases data, corrupts files, and reinstalls itself after being disabled.

China had the highest percentage of browser-based attacks at 50 percent, with the United States following with 23 percent. China's infection rate of 6.6 percent, a 41 percent increase from the second half of 2007, was a bit lower than industry experts expected.

Security expert Jose Nazario of Arbor Networks said he thought China would have a higher infection rate than Microsoft's findings, but he wasn't surprised by the percentage of browser-based attacks. "The browser becomes the center and the nexus for the average person because it is feature-rich, and those features increase the vulnerabilities of the browser attacks," Nazario said.

Threats a Continuous Evolution

While businesses and security experts continue to develop software and operating systems to withstand attacks, Microsoft's research shows the problems and threats to both businesses and people continue to evolve.

"The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report gives us a chance to share our extensive analysis of the threat landscape and related guidance with our customers, partners and the broader industry, helping ensure people are better informed and, in turn, protected," said Vinny Gullotto, general manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center.

Microsoft suggests consumers and businesses check for and apply software updates on a continuing basis, enable firewalls, and install antivirus and anti-spyware programs that add another layer of protection.

The software giant also suggests that consumers refrain from opening links and attachments in e-mails and instant messages -- even if they are from a trusted source -- without first considering the harm that opening may cause.

Cause for Change

Microsoft's size and global reach allows it to be one of the best companies to handle both the collection and reporting of data, according to Nazario. "There are some potential problems with Microsoft, but they have the best visibility because of their reach and how they collect data," said Nazario. "They have visibility around the world and can get into the details of what is running the host."

Microsoft also has the most to lose by not responding. Part of the company's validation in conducting this research is that it is in a position to collect the data, respond to security issues, and then analyze and share their findings, similar to what they did with Code Red and Blaster, two breeches that put a huge dent in the company. Code Red, a computer worm, attacked Microsoft's IIS Web server in July 2001, affecting 360,000 hosts, according to published reports. Blaster was a computer worm that affected Windows XP and Windows 2000.

"If they are not responding to these threats, then their market share is under threat," Nazario said. "They have a massive responsibility to keep computing safe."

Gullotto said the company is focused on applying the data from the report to its research and response efforts to provide protection to customers.

"They appear to, from what I can tell reading this (report) over the years and in talking with friends who work there, that they take it to heart and use {the data} to make compelling cases for changing the way they do things," Nazario said.

Source