Security

Adobe Flash malware attacks on the rise

McAfee Labs has reported a 317 percent surge in Adobe Flash malware attacks in the first quarter

Attackers’ attention appears to have been diverted from Java and Microsoft Silverlight to un-patched Flash vulnerabilities.

In the month of May McAfee Labs Threat Report, researchers gave several factors as a cause including the technology’s popularity, users’ delay in applying patches, new methods of exploitation, an increase in mobile devices compatible with Flash files, and the difficulty in detecting some exploits.

“With the popularity of a product like Flash, there comes a tremendous responsibility to proactively identify and mitigate security issues potentially threatening millions of users,” Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs, said in a statement.

McAfee urges businesses and individuals to “be more diligent” in keeping products updated with the latest security patches.

However, hackers still manage to find a way in: Intel Security’s Threats Report also touched on a wave of new ransomware, driven by CTB-Locker, Teslacrypt, and new versions of CryptoWall, TorrentLocker, and BandarChor.

CTB-Locker in particular runs what McAfee called “clever techniques” for evading security software; its higher-quality phishing emails and “affiliate” program can easily dupe users into making ransom payments.

The May 2015 McAfee Labs Threats Report also identified a slight decline in new PC malware, 49 percent growth in mobile malware, SSL-related attacks, and spam botnets that push pharmaceuticals, steal credit cards, and offer “shady” social media marketing tools.

Via PC Mag

Tags

Ephraim Batambuze III

Digital guy, Web developer, Tech blogger, Gadgets Reviews, Geeky dad. Email:ebatambuze@gmail.com Twitter:@batambuze WhatsApp/Telegram:+256781665128 Skype:ebatambuze

One Comment

  1. Practically a decade after Flash was popularized, and we are still grappling with attacks that target this venerable software – I still remember poring through those “Get started with Flash Programming” books at that time.

    Ironically, Adobe is highly active (in recent years anyway) in seeking to eliminate bugs, which just shows that hackers will always be able to find flaws in software deployed on end-user devices. The trick is hence to be able to quickly isolate and detect a breach in the corporate network – and rectify it before damage is done. – Paul Mah, commenting on behalf of IDG and FireEye.

Back to top button
Close

Adblock Detected

Please disable your adblocker to continue accessing this site.