Spyware Blockers

New anti-malware research shows an emerging trend among malware sites – transient attacks. Viruses gain traction by being around for a long time, infecting more computers as they grow. They rely on time-tested strategies of exploiting computer code, knowing that even though a fix exists, many people don’t apply their patches regularly.

For malware, longevity isn’t really the goal. Malware is often served up from compromised sites. It doesn’t take very long for the malicious site to be discovered and “blacklisted” – removed from search engines and blocked by protective software. To avoid being blacklisted, a malefactor may look for ways to compromise an existing “good” site, set up a redirector to the malicious site, operate for a short time and be gone.

The approach is becoming a favorite of malware distributors. One anti-virus company estimates that the number of transient sites has grown from 100,00-200,00 per day to as many as 300,000 per day.

Advertising Networks Are Major Malware Routes

How can this happen? Advertising networks are a primary vehicle for redirectors. Malware creators buy advertising space in ad networks, which then distribute the malicious links to hundreds of legitimate sites. Clicking on an ad on your favorite site may redirect you to a malicious site, or more simply, may download spyware, adware and other malware on your computer while you browse. Research suggests that as many as 60 percent of these sites could be up for less than a day.

When you’re up against this kind of adversary, your computer needs to be protected against whatever comes your way. Innocent sites can be compromised easily and quickly. While advertising is a major vehicle to malware infection, good sites themselves can also be compromised. Often, the intrusion goes unnoticed by the site administrator, or the intruder is gone by the time the compromise is discovered.

You need complete protection against malware, spyware and adware. Blacklisting may be good for sites that distribute viral email, but it’s not effective against transient threats that appear one day and are gone the next. You need full-time protection on your system from an anti-spyware product you can trust. XoftSpy SE can help protect your computer from threats you encounter today and tomorrow. It uses a database of nearly a quarter of a million malware and malware variant signatures. No matter where the malware hides, XoftSpy SE will recognize it and prevent it from harming your computer.

Don’t rely on luck to keep your computer safe. Rely on XoftSpy SE from Spywareblockers.org.

Photo Credit: Steve Woods