We have recently seen an increase in the number of zero-day exploits, which indicates that attackers are being more methodical in their discovery and use of software vulnerabilities. A zero-day exploit occurs when a software flaw is only discovered after it is already being exploited in the wild (and there isn’t a patch available from the vendor).
The “window of exposure” is the time frame during which users of vulnerable software will be at risk. This is calculated as the difference in time between when a vulnerability is exploited and when a patch is made available. The average window of exposure from the first six months of 2006 was 28 days – a dangerously large window in which systems and users are at risk. Average time to develop a patch – Time to develop exploit code = window of exposure (31 – 3 = 28 days). While vendors continue to make strides and reduce the amount of time it takes to release a patch, attackers seem to be staying one...
Whether it’s spaghetti or lasagna or any other potential mess, Symantec can clear away whatever Gromozon dishes out. Our team has already written a couple of blogs on just how nasty the Gromozon (LinkOptimizer) threat is. You can read about it in Gromozon.com and Italian Spaghetti, and Gromozon Evolution: From Spaghetti to Lasagna.
Recently, we took 18 different LinkOptimizer samples and did our own testing to see whether or not other vendors could deal with this super aggressive threat. The results are pretty staggering. Symantec provides the most complete protection, whereas the next closest vendor handled only five out of the 18 samples.
