Drive-by download attacks are becoming a major cyberthreat. These deceptive attacks spread malware and steal sensitive data from unsuspecting victims.

What is Drive-by downloads? 

They’re unauthorized and unaware malware downloads. A hacker injects malicious code into a website that has been purposely developed to stage the attack. The code downloads and installs malware automatically. Even without clicking, visiting the infected website can cause the download.

Drive-by downloads are dangerous because they spread quickly. Malware can spread via email or instant messaging from a user’s computer. This allows the attacker to rapidly spread the malware, infecting many machines.

Drive-by downloads have various risks and implications.

Exploit kits exploit software and operating system vulnerabilities. These kits let attackers install malware on vulnerable systems without user intervention.

When a user visits a website with malicious ads, a drive-by download occurs. Malware downloads masquerade as ads. The malware downloads and installs when the user clicks the ad.

Fake software updates: These drive-by downloads disguise malware as software updates. The user is usually redirected to a fake download page from a software company that installs malware.

CryptoLocker was a drive-by download attack. Drive-by downloads infected thousands of computers worldwide. To decrypt the victim’s files, the malware demanded a ransom.

One of the most popular exploit kits was the Angler Exploit Kit. Drive-by downloads infected thousands of machines worldwide with the kit. After harming individuals and organizations, international law enforcement agencies shut it down.

To mitigate Drive-By downloads, users must be vigilant when they are about to click a link and organizations should take deliberate steps to implement layered security, so that even if the malware is downloaded, it will not have an opportunity to spread across the network.