What is an Exploit Kit? SMBs Need to Know

Summary: What is an exploit kit and how can small and midsized businesses (SMBs) defeat them to provide security for a website.

Why Is Website Protection More Important than Ever for SMBs?

Automating tasks makes all kinds of work easier, more efficient and more cost-effective. However, hackers have not been asleep in this arena. Exploit kits are an example of automation used for malicious acts. Cybercriminals armed with exploit kits use compromised websites to redirect web traffic, scan for vulnerabilities and infect systems with malware.

Exploit kits have become one of the most widespread malware mass distribution methods for hackers. Once successful exploit kit programs have been created, cyber thieves also sell or rent the campaigns to third parties in underground markets.

Q: What is an exploit kit?

A: An exploit kit is a malicious toolkit used by cybercriminals to automatically scan devices for software vulnerabilities and deliver malware. Typically hosted on compromised or malicious websites, exploit kits target outdated browsers, plugins or operating systems, silently infecting systems without requiring users to download or install anything intentionally.

However, before an automated attack can take place there are several steps that have to occur. Exploit kits are designed to roll out a series of events for the cyber infection to be successful. Here are some of the steps:

• Landing Page – The first step in launching an exploit kit is compromising a website. From the compromised page, web traffic can be covertly diverted to another, maliciously coded landing page, where the victim’s device is searched for any browser-based vulnerabilities. The exploit campaign will immediately cease if the devices and the system have robust cybersecurity in place. However, the website will divert all network traffic to the exploit site if any application vulnerabilities are discovered
• Exploit – An exploit uses vulnerable applications such as Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Silverlight, Java and Runtime. The exploit file is sent secretly within diverted web traffic. In short, these applications are “gateways” to exploitation
• Payload – The final step of a successful exploit campaign is sending a payload directed at the host. The payload can either be the final malicious code or a downloader that will facilitate retrieving additional malware to launch. Recently, the most common payload has come in the form of ransomware. However, there are many other payloads for many other criminal purposes.

Q: How do exploit kits infect small business systems?

A: Exploit kits often infect systems through drive-by downloads triggered when an employee visits a compromised website or clicks a malicious advertisement. The kit scans the device for unpatched vulnerabilities and deploys malware such as ransomware or spyware, gaining access to sensitive business data and network resources.

How Do Exploit Kits Impact Security for a Website?

Exploit kits became very popular with hackers because some require little or no coding knowledge. Also, because they have become turn-key operations, they can be sold to third parties as “ready to go.” Therefore, beyond the exploit opportunities, cyber thieves can capitalize on the sale of the programs they have created. Some of the exploit kits used in the past are, Angler, Blackhole, Fiesta, Flashpack, GrandSoft, Magnitude, Hunter HanJuan, Magnitude, Rig and Neutrino, to name a few. However, new attacks are always on the horizon.

Q: What warning signs might indicate an exploit kit infection?

A: Signs of infection may include sudden system slowdowns, unexpected pop-ups, disabled security tools, unauthorized account activity or files becoming encrypted. Businesses might also notice unusual outbound network traffic. Because exploit kits operate quietly, infections often go undetected until damage has already occurred.

What the Best Way to Achieve Small Business Website Security?

SMBs cannot ignore the need to protect against exploit kits. SMB owners often feel that they’re not large enough to interest cybercriminals. They may not understand that security for a website is something they need to worry about. Unfortunately, 60% of small to midsized businesses have gone out of business within six months of a cyberattack over the past several years. Therefore, it is crucial SMBs protect against exploit attacks. A cyber risk analysis should be done by IT professionals who understand what they are looking for and all the steps that must be taken to ensure you have minimized or locked down all potential vulnerabilities.

Q: How can small businesses defend against exploit kits?

A: Defend against exploit kits by keeping all software and operating systems updated, removing unsupported applications and enabling automatic patching where possible. Using reputable endpoint protection, web filtering and network monitoring tools adds further website protection. Regular backups ensure rapid recovery if malware is successfully deployed.

How Can Businesses Implement Website Protection from Exploit Kits?

Unfortunately, defending against hacks has become too complex for amateurs. Professional IT security consulting is the best way to ensure you have the proper layers of cyber threat protection in place. Experts can perform a threat assessment to see what action needs to be taken to protect your business data better. Still, the most prolific hackers can eventually breach most cyber protections with enough time and resources. However, with robust cybersecurity in place, cyberattacks of all kinds can be spotted early, mitigated and contained before data is breached and extensive damage is done to your business network and all its endpoint devices.

Connect with us if you’re looking for a NYC-area cybersecurity provider or contact a small business IT security professional near you to learn more about business website security and getting affordable managed cybersecurity for SMBs.