Experts warn of 'Tornado' hacker tool

Security researchers have discovered a new web-based attack tool which exploits up to 14 browser vulnerabilities and installs malware on the user's system.

Symantec researcher Liam O'Murchu said that 'Tornado' is commonly installed on a server by a single 'administrator', who then offers accounts on the server to other attackers.

The attackers then inject code into other web pages to redirect users to the Tornado server, where the exploit and malware installation is conducted.

"Perhaps this is why the code for this pack has stayed private for so long," said O'Murchu.

"Using this model, the creators of the pack can sell it to a few trusted customers at a higher price, rather than selling it to many untrustworthy customers and risking the code being released in the underground."

Tornado also offers attackers a full set of traffic statistics and options for selecting which exploits can be conducted.

The malware features an option to redirect repeat visitors to a phoney 'account suspended' page.

This helps the tool to evade security researchers who will make repeated visits to infected pages in order to study the exploits and malware in use.

Programs such as Neosploit and MPack offer similar capabilities to set up servers that can conduct multiple exploits against users.

See also:

Infosec: Most breaches down to lost or stolen kit

Hacking fades in favour of theft  22 Apr 2008

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Employee web filtering gets weird  22 Apr 2008

Infosec Video Lounge Part 1

Infosec 2008 Preview: Ed Gibson, Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft UK, talks to vnunet.com about the security focus for the coming year.  21 Apr 2008

Infosec Europe 2008 Special Report

The latest news and views from Europe's number one information security event  01 May 2008

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