Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Malicious Websites Are Posing Great Cyber Security Risks

You must have noticed that Google shows a warning in its search results immediately below some sites that these sites are infected with malware and they may harm your computer. Of all these infected websites some of them are infected by third parties without actual knowledge and consent of the owner of the site.

However, some sites are deliberately infected with malware so that secret and financial details can be acquired. Some infected sites are more interested in turning computers into bots so that they may be sold as a part of botnets. This trend is growing as more and more computers are found infected by companies around the world.

There are many ways to infect a computer system and malicious websites is one of the most effective methods of doing so, informs Praveen Dalal, CEO of exclusive cyber security research and training centre of India (CSRTCI). Malicious websites have been targeting innocent web users for long. By infecting a popular website or by deliberately making a website laden with customised malware, criminals are getting sensitive information, like bank accounts details, from innocent users, informs Dalal.

Projects like Metasploit have been providing useful information and tools for penetration testers, security researchers, and IDS signature developers. This project was created to provide information on exploit techniques and to create a functional knowledgebase for exploit developers and security professionals. The tools and information on this site are provided for legal security research and testing purposes only.

Website owners can test their websites through projects like Metasploit or similar projects. Surprisingly, most of governmental websites in India are vulnerable to cyber attacks and are not secure. Indian government must make its websites secure before these websites start turning Indian computers into bots.