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Until quite recently, phishing attacks were the primary means of infecting a target computer with malware. If a hacker could convince a person to click on a link in an email, the deed was done. Unfortunately for the hackers, users have been getting increasingly more savvy about safeguarding their emails and not clicking on links from untrusted sources. Unfortunately for the users, that means that the hackers have upped their game.<\/p>\n
What is a Watering Hole Attack?<\/strong><\/p>\n A Internet Watering Hole is just like what it sounds like it is. A place where lots of internet denizens come for a drink, or for a daily dose of digital goodness. Really, any site that gets a lot of traffic can be considered a Watering Hole. The idea here is to attack the Watering Hole site, set a trap, infect it, and then wait for visitors to show up.<\/p>\n By taking root in the site, the hackers can redirect links on the site so that they install malware, rather than taking the visitor to the page as the link would normally. The thing that is especially insidious about this form of attack is that by their natures, Watering Hole sites are trusted. Their URL’s aren’t blocked and they’re not on any sort of banned list, so of course, the malware slides right into the system. To a certain extent then, your level of protection is only as good as the protection on the sites you frequent, but there are a few things you can do to protect yourself.<\/p>\n Block Tracking<\/strong><\/p>\n Part of what makes the Watering Hole attack successful is the ability of the hackers to remote track user activity. To protect yourself or your employees, identify any and all remote tracking and simply disallow it.<\/p>\n