November 12, 2009

Unmask Parasites

Unmask Parasites is a simple online web site security service that helps reveal _hidden_illicit content (parasites) that web site crackers/hackers insert into benign web pages using various security holes.

Wikipedia defines Parasitism as a “type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species in which one, the parasite, benefits from a prolonged, close association with the other, the host, which is harmed.”

Hackers exploit security vulnerabilities of web software (blogs, forums, CMS, image galleries, wikis and e-commerce solutions) to insert hidden illicit content into web pages of innocent third-party web sites.

Most times this technique is used by spammers who insert hundreds of hidden links to web sites advertising medications, cheap loans and porn.

Another example of hidden malicious content is code that redirects visitors that click on your site’s search results in Google to absolutely different web sites owned by spammers. This sort of exploit can hardly be detected by site owners, because the malicious code redirects only first time visitors.

What all these techniques have in common is they parasitize benign web sites to take advantage of their search engine ranking, visitors, and site hosting which is paid for by their victims – unaware web site owners.

You can test out Unmask Parasites against your own site by clicking here.