Security report reveals 40% of malicious links are hosted on legitimate websites.

A recent report by an international web security company reveals that hackers compromised legitimate websites to host files in 40% of malicious links in 2018. The study also states that link shorteners – often used on social media – pose a considerable risk to users and that phishing attacks – for stealing passwords – grew 36% year over year. These numbers indicate that users need to exercise caution when accessing unsolicited links, even when they point to legitimate websites. Since there is a considerable chance that the site has been hacked and altered by hackers, internet users must be careful not only with the link's destination but also with its source – that is, how it was received. The data is based on 32 billion links analyzed by Webroot's systems over the course of the year. The links belonged to 750 million different domains (websites). Brazil appears in the report as one of the ten countries that most contributed IP addresses used in attacks. This means hackers are likely compromising computers in Brazil or renting services in data processing centers to launch attacks against other systems worldwide. Even though it ranks in the top ten, Brazil's participation was modest (2%) compared to China (28%) and the United States (21%), but it was higher than Russia's (1.9%). Not all numbers from the survey point to a worsening scenario. The report indicates that users with Windows 10 are up to twice as protected as users of Windows 7 – suggesting improved security in Windows – and that the number of malicious files identified per computer is falling. Ransomware attacks also decreased in 2018, although they became more targeted, meaning hackers are selecting targets more carefully and carrying out more sophisticated attacks. However, no reduction was observed in the number of attacks involving cryptocurrencies, despite successive drops in the value of Bitcoin and its derivatives. Source: G1

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of malicious links are hosted on legitimate websites?

According to the article, 40% of malicious links in 2018 were hosted on legitimate websites that had been compromised by hackers.

How much did phishing attacks grow year over year?

The article states that phishing attacks grew 36% year over year.

Which operating system users are up to twice as protected according to the report?

The report indicates that users with Windows 10 are up to twice as protected as users of Windows 7.