Malware Attacks and Cloud Computing

Malware Attacks Becoming More Pervasive and fast-evolving on the Cloud Computing Market by Some Providers Either by Hiding Behind the Names of Legitimate Providers or Becoming a Target Themselves. We talked about How to Analyze Network Traffic to Detect Advanced Persistent Threats, recently the broad terminology “Malware Attacks” came in to attention in the Cloud Computing Providers’ scenario after a security provider published an article :

The malware could be distributed directly to Internet users through the cloud computing services. This is the conclusion reached by the Threat Intelligence Quarterly Report for 2013 (Q4), released a few days ago as a result of a research conducted by the Security Engineering Research Team (SERT), the provider Solutionary, a subsidiary of Japan’s NTT Group.

Malware Attacks and Cloud Computing : Method of Operation

Hackers would put malware into their circle using the power of cloud computing, by using the services purchased directly or compromising some legitimate accounts through which they then carry out the illegal practices. Cloud computing is the fastest and cheapest way to viralizzare the network and disrupt many security systems, hiding behind the reputation of providers services. What worries even the most security experts are the results in terms of the provider: Amazon, with its AWS and GoDaddy are at the top of the list of providers mostly used by the bad guys and would host both on 16 and 14 percent of recognized malware. Amazon are housed in four of the ten most dangerous sites in terms of malware distribution, including the number also appears one of the download sites.

From the results obtained, the opposition by Amazon does not seem to be sufficient and so the AWS seem a favorite service by the hackers to contaminate the safety of the online users.

Malware Attacks and Cloud Computing : Nations at Higher Risk

From the report, there is also another interesting aspect that concerns the spatial distribution of malware hosted by cloud computing services : the United States host about 44 percent of the malware, thus confirming to be the first nation in the position. This is followed by Germany, which hosts around 9 percent of the all malware, next are Netherlands (7 percent), Russia with China (6 percent), France and the United Kingdom (4 percent), Italy and Canada (3 percent) and Ukraine (2 percent).

Malware Attacks and Cloud Computing : Security Approaches Should Be Given Higher value

In the face of these findings the simple recommendations always about security may not be applicable. Keep up to date the Web server and the applications installed on it with security patches, implement the policies of vulnerability research and regular analysis of the code; configure the appropriate Web Application with Firewall to block malicious traffic and protect from DDoS attacks as well; restrict the opportunities for application installation to intended level of user as well as educate the user to perform the download only from the trusted sources.

It is fact – Amazon is not spreading malwares, it is the lack of consciousness of the part of users are indirectly helping the malware distributer.