Cybercriminals are using rich content applications such
asAdobe Flashfiles to
distribute malicious code in the latest online crime trend, says
security supplierFinjan.
Adobe Flash applications are widespread on the internet and are
frequentlyused to display eye-catching billboards to attract
visitors to websites.
Criminals are now exploiting the
ActionScript feature of Flash which interacts with web pages to
pass on malicious code to end-users, according to
Finjan's latest
quarterly web security report.
The binary format of Flash files enables cybercriminals to hide
malicious code and later exploit end-user browsers to install
malware, said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, chief technology officer at
Finjan
Many website owners are exposing visitors to security risks by
not following
guidelines published by Adobe to control these interactions,
the report said.
Large advertising networks using Flash-based banners are also
not configuring systems to prevent their ads from interacting with
web pages.
According to the report, this method of attack has become an
important new way for cybercriminals to pass on malicious code
without being detected.
The report said criminals will continue to use the most advanced
techniques and services that
Web 2.0 can offer in the year ahead.
Cybercrime, the report predicts, will keep on rising, with an
increasing number of unemployed IT professionals likely to start
contributing to the underground economy.