WASHINGTON: Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and California-based SRI International have developed a new tool that eliminates drive-by download threats.
Malicious software is spreading faster than ever on the Internet, thanks to insecure Web browsers and the growing number of complex applets and browser plug-in applications. Some websites are installing malicious code, such as spyware, on computers without the user’s knowledge or consent. These so-called “drive-by downloads” signal a shift away from using spam and malicious e-mail attachments to infect computers.
Approximately 560,000 websites — and 5.5 million Web pages on those sites — were infected with malware during the fourth quarter of 2009. And, the new software, BLADE — short for Block All Drive-By Download Exploits — is browser-independent and designed to eliminate all drive-by malware installation threats.
“By simply visiting a website, malware can be silently installed on a computer to steal a user’s identity and other personal information, launch denial-of-service attacks, or participate in botnet activity,” said Wenke Lee, at Georgia.