Internet Explorer zero-day exploit used watering hole attacks to target Japanese users
Sep 24, 2013
Attackers exploiting a zero-day vulnerability CVE-2013-3893 in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser and served them on compromised popular Japanese news websites. According to FireEye , at least three major Japanese media websites were compromised in watering hole attacks, dubbed Operation DeputyDog , appears to target manufacturers, government entities and media organizations in Japan. The compromised sites recorded more than 75,000 page views before the exploits were discovered. The zero-day vulnerability in IE 8 and 9 allows the stealthy installation of software in the users' computers which then can be remotely accessed by the hackers. The hackers typically use Trojans designed specifically for a pay-to-order attack to steal intellectual property. Researchers saw a payload executable file used against a Japanese target posing as an image file hosted on a Hong Kong server. The attack in Japan was discovered two days after Microsoft disclosed the ...
