Security Response

My previous post was intended to demonstrate that malicious software could also be affected by security vulnerabilities. The example considered a remote code execution in a PHP page used in a phishing attack. However, the debate is still open concerning the possibility that the security issue had been intentionally introduced as a back door.

I want to now focus my attention on another piece of malicious code used to control and coordinate the systems belonging to a particular botnet. A botnet is a group of infected zombie machines under a common control infrastructure; usually, a Web application is employed to remotely instruct the systems in order to pursue a variety of illicit purposes.

An authentication bypass vulnerability was found to be affecting the command and control Web interface used in this particular botnet, thereby allowing users to bypass the authentication mechanism and take the control of the botnet and its zombies....

The evolution of a phishing attack is quite straightforward. At first, the fraudsters compromise a vulnerable server and deploy a package called a "phishing kit," which contains a clone application of the targeted institution. Then, mass mailing activities, with the aim of reaching a large number of recipients, are accomplished. Finally, the fraudsters use social engineering techniques to entice victims to submit their credentials, from which the fraudsters attempt to derive valid credentials. This will only happen if the fraudsters are able to convince users that they should trust the phishing website, or at least be tricked into believing it is a legitimate site and not raise any suspicion. Of course, this is not always a painless task.

Symantec has carried out several forensics analyses in order to evaluate the distribution of phished users over the different phases described above. Specifically, I want to focus my attention on the portion of users submitting...