Inside AnonJDB – a Java based malware distribution platforms for drive-by downloads

by Dancho Danchev

With the even decreasing prices of underground tools and services, thanks to the commoditization of these very same market items, the price for renting a botnet, or purchasing access to already infected hosts, is constantly decreasing.

Although the majority of cybercriminals are actively exploiting end and corporate users while using client-side vulnerabilities in outdated third-party applications and browser plugins, there’s a separate branch of cybercriminals who specialize in delivering their payload using nothing else but good old fashioned social engineering attacks.

Following my previous post Inside a clickjacking/likejacking scam distribution platform for Facebook, in this post I will profile AnonJDB – a Java based malware distribution platform for drive-by downloads.

(more…)

Zappos.com hacked, 24 million users affected

Zappos.com hacked, 24 million users affected

by Dancho Danchev

According to an internal memo issued by Zappos, the shoe-and-apparel-selling division of Amazon has been breached by unknown cyber attackers, leading to the compromised accounts of over 24 million users.

The company has indicated that names, email addresses, mailing addresses, and the last four digits of customer’s credit card numbers have been compromised.

More info on the attack, including a copy of the internal memo:

(more…)

A peek inside the PickPocket Botnet

A peek inside the PickPocket Botnet

by Dancho Danchev

Malicious attackers quickly adapt to emerging trends, and therefore constantly produce new malicious releases. One of these recently released underground tools, is the PickPocket Botnet, a web-based command and control interface for controlling a botnet.

Let’s review its core features, and find out just how easy it is to purchase it within the cybercrime ecosystem.

(more…)

Welcome to the team, Dancho!

Notice someone new on the Webroot Threat Blog? We’re thrilled to introduce Dancho Danchev – independent security consultant, cyber threat analyst and bad-guy chaser extraordinaire – as our new security blogger. Many of you may know Dancho from the security analysis he’s been providing for industry media and on his own blog and since 2007.

We’ve started off the new year on an exciting foot, bringing Dancho on board to chronicle what Webroot is seeing in the cybercrime ecosystem and his insights on the Internet security industry at large. So, stay tuned — and welcome, Dancho.

Email hacking for hire going mainstream

Email hacking for hire going mainstream

by Dancho Danchev

Just how easy is it to hack someone’s email nowadays? Very easy as the process is offered as a managed service within the cybercrime ecosystem.

Over the past couple of months, I have been monitoring an increase in managed email hacking services. These services basically offered everyone the ability to claim someone else’s email through email hacking performed on behalf of the vendor. Such services have been circulating in the wild since early 2008. Shall we take a peek at their latest market proposition?

Let’s profile a managed email hacking service offering to hack Gmail and Yahoo accounts.

(more…)