Automatic Translation Services pose security risk: Embedded Malicious Code

An Ad

Integrate business news on your website free of charge and offer your visitors up-to-date content! Click here for more information.

According to latest reports from web-security specialist Finjan, a new trend in malicious software is the distribution via content on webpages served by automatic translation services.

Finjan Software Inc. yesterday published the latest findings from its Malicious Code Research Center (MCRC) in its Web Security Trends Report (Q1 2007). The report is based on the analysis of more than 10 million websites based on live web traffic recorded in the UK.

Among the most important findings are:

Due to commercial interests behind e-crime malicious code (or malware) is more likely hosted on servers in developed countries, most notably the U.S. and U.K

Over 80% of identified malicious code was obfuscated (randomly disguised) "making it virtually invisible to pattern-matching/signature-based methods in use by anti-virus products".

Attackers show an increased "sophistication at embedding malicious code within legitimate content (e.g., ad delivery and translation services)."

While advertising and ad-delivery is the primary channel for malicious software distribution researcher report an increasing "existence of malicious code on webpages served by automatic translation services."

Malicious Code via Translation Services

According to the Finjan Report, a new trend is the existence of malicious code on webpages served by automatic translation services, such as those offered by many leading websites and search engine companies. "The report presents several instances of malicious code discovered by Finjan security researchers on translated webpages. This is another example of attackers' increasing creativity and sophistication, i.e., using the translation process to obscure the source of the malicious code behind the otherwise reputable translation service," the press release informs.

Read full Press Release: Finjan Software Inc.

View or Download the Web Security Trends Report

More Information: http://www.finjan.com/