July 17th, 2007

Blocking (Internet Explorer) drive-by malware downloads

Posted by Ryan Naraine @ 11:02 am

Categories: Botnets, Browsers, Data theft, Exploit code, Firefox, Google, Hackers, Microsoft, Oracle, Passwords, Pen testing, Punditocracy, Responsible disclosure, Rootkits, Spam and Phishing, Viruses and Worms, Vulnerability research, Wi-Fi security, Windows Vista, Zero-day attacks

Tags: Toolbar, Malware, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Ryan Naraine

Last week, I wrote about Haute Secure, a new browser toolbar promising to to block drive-by exploits from compromising Windows computers.

The company, founded by four former Microsoft employees, has fitted behavior-based profiling algorithms into an Internet Explorer toolbar to identify and intercept malicious files in real-time.

Currently available as a free beta download, Haute Secure offers two levels of color-coded protection — passive warnings and aggressive blocking.

Click here for an explanation of the technology.

In this image gallery, we take Haute Secure for a whirl, looking at the installation and use of Haute Secure in real-world examples.