2012 Malnet Report

26 September 2012
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Malnets (malware networks) are extensive infrastructures embedded in the Internet that are designed to deliver mass market attacks to the largest possible audience on a continuous basis. In 2012, Blue Coat expects these infrastructures will be responsible for more than two thirds of all malicious cyber-attacks.

The ease with which cyber-criminals can launch new attacks using malnets has created a continuous process by which individuals are lured to malware, infected, and then used to infect others. We call this the vicious cycle. First the malnet drives a user to the malware. Then the user’s computer is infected with a Trojan. Once the
computer is compromised it can be used by the botnet to lure new users into the malnet by using the infected machine to send spam to email contact lists, for example. A compromised system can also be used to steal the victim’s personal information or money, and, in some cases, can also function as a jumping-off point for attacks on neighboring machines.