Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have reminded
companies of the importance of scanning web traffic for malware
following the discovery that the Super Bowl stadium website was
hacked by criminals in an attempt to install malicious code.
Hackers placed a malicious script on the website of the Miami
Dolphins, hosts of Sunday's Super Bowl event, which exploited
Microsoft security vulnerabilities to install malware located on a
Chinese server onto visitors' computers. Sophos proactively
defended customers by detecting the Windows malware as Mal/Packer using the
Behavioral Genotype® Protection technology built into Sophos
products.
The Miami Dolphins website was hacked, in an
attempt to install malicious code on visitors' Windows
PCs.
The Microsoft security vulnerabilties exploited by the hackers
are described in Microsoft security bulletins MS06-014 and
MS07-004.
"The web is being overrun by malicious security threats such as
spyware and adware. Most of these threats are motivated by
financial gain, with perpetrators trying to steal confidential
information, trade secrets or make money through persistent pop-up
advertising," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "Websites related to the Super
Bowl will have been a popular destination for surfers around the
world in the run-up to Sunday's game, and a prime opportunity for
hackers to infect the unwary. System administrators need to put
measures in place to better defend their workers' PCs and their
networks from attack."
The Miami Dolphins' website has now been restored to normal
operation, but Sophos recommends that users who visited the site in
the run-up to the game scan their PCs with an up-to-date anti-virus
product and ensure that they have installed the latest Microsoft
security patches.
"Malware today typically doesn't announce its presence. It could
lurk undetected on a surfer's computer without them realising that
it is working in the background, stealing information from them or
exploiting their computer's resources," continued Cluley. "Workers
who are given free rein to visit whichever websites they choose
from their office desk are risking bringing malware into their
organization."
Sophos's recently announced WS1000 Web Security Appliance blocks
spyware, viruses, malware and unwanted applications at the gateway
and enables comprehensive web access control for safe, productive
web browsing.
In January, Sophos published
its Security Threat Report 2007, which revealed the increasing use
of the web as a vector for malicious attacks by hackers. The report
can be downloaded from the Sophos website:
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.