Fighting malware and spam

Blended threat

Complex malware attack using exploits, trojans, worms etc.

A blended threat is a sophisticated attack using multiple malware types and vectors to carry out penetration and control of a system.

An example would be a spammed email containing a link to a legitimate website that has been hijacked via a vulnerability in the web server software, which carries hidden iframes running malicious javascript. The malicious javascript exploits further vulnerabilities in the browser, enabling code to be executed on the target host, disabling security software and downloading further trojans and worms. These include backdoors which can be used to control the now hijacked machine, making it send out spam and host web pages serving more trojans and worms.