Secure Your Computer, Use Safe Browser

You are surfing the net and stop at a popular site you regularly visit to read the latest headlines. You feel safe. But unbeknownst to you, and the website owner, malicious code has been added to the page. This uploads software onto your computer, turning it into a "zombie" PC under the remote control of a malicious user. Installing firewalls and antivirus software may keep your PC safe from worms and viruses, but they do not inspect data downloaded through browsers - a loophole that attackers are now increasingly attacking. "The firewall is dead," says Google security specialist.

Ordinary users would not know that their computer had been hit by a drive-by download unless their browser started crashing or they suddenly started being hit with pop-up advertisements, Provos says. Nor would website owners spot that their pages had been corrupted, as such malware is typically hidden, for example, by adding code to the JavaScript program used to create the site. The malware can also be designed to hide from anyone trying to find it; Provos encountered websites that checked the IP address of all visitors and only installed malware on a user's first visit.

From issue 2602 of New Scientist magazine, 05 May 2007, page 28-29