What is it?
Drive-by downloads occur when a cyber criminal injects malicious code on
to a website, and then attempts to entice computer users to visit the
infected page in an attempt to install malware on their PCs.
How does it work?
Cyber criminals create malicious code designed to install their malware
and select a suitable website to host the attack. Finally, they inject
the malicious code into the relevant pages and wait for innocent web
surfers to visit.
If the victim's machine is not running up-to-date IT security software
and patches, the ensuing exploit attack will likely succeed, and malware
will be installed.
Should I be worried?
Drive-by downloads present a simple and highly effective way to draw
details from users' PCs. A growing number of criminals are also
injecting malicious code on to legitimate web pages, compromising these
sites.
How can I prevent it?
There are simple steps to defend against this kind of attack, no matter
what type of website is hosting it. Consider deploying web security
solutions that filter based on website categorisation and properly
inspect the code of every website before granting access. It is also
important to ensure that browser applications are fully patched.