When the Media and Malware Collide

Crosslinking forms the basis - the raison d'être, if you will - for the Web. Without it, the very word 'web' would not be applicable. Crosslinking provides the jumping off points that allow us to follow the trail of information from one page to another, and from one site to another. Indeed, crosslinking is why we have a "World Wide" Web.

But today's hostile Web environment is threatening the safety of crosslinking.

Case in point, an article in last week's New York Times titled "When Conscience and Closet Collide" referenced a private New York consignment shop and provided a courtesy link to the shop's website. Problem is, unbeknownst to the NYT, the shop's website had been compromised to install a rogue spyware scanner on unsuspecting visitors' computers. While the site ordinarily would be unlikely to attract a very large audience, the presence of the link in the New York Times gave it a sudden popularity boost. (Note: upon notification, the New York Times immediately removed the link contained in the article).

In some cases, attackers can deliberately exploit the inclusion of a particular link. A Wikipedia article titled "The Richardson Gang" included a link to eddierichardson.com, originally a gallery of artwork. But that site ceased operations in May 2006. No doubt made attractive by its Wikipedia inclusion, the dropped site was subsequently scooped up for less honorable purposes. Currently the domain is under the control of attackers and foisting up malware to unsuspecting visitors. (Note: the link from Wikipedia was removed prior to publishing this post).

The New York Times and Wikipedia examples are just that: examples. They by no means are the exception. In the past 12 months, ScanSafe STAT has observed a 407% increase in the risk of malware exposure via compromised websites. Today, one out of two corporates risks malware exposure via compromised sites, the majority arriving there through crosslinks. Whether through a media article, an online encyclopedia, a search engine, or other link from an entirely respectable site, the problem of trusting crosslinks will only get worse. And as that trust erodes, it threatens to tear the very fabric of the Web.