BREWING UP TROUBLE: ANALYZING FOUR WIDELY EXPLOITED JAVA VULNERABILITIES
Java is widely used by developers—so much so that many applications and websites do not run properly without Java installed in users’ systems. This widespread adoption makes the near-universal platform fertile ground for cybercriminals. Exploit kits have pounced on Java vulnerabilities with virtually every major discovery.
Forget exploiting simple browser and client-side application flaws to distribute pay-per-install spyware. Today’s exploit kits are smarter, abusing legitimate Web components and infrastructure to selectively deliver the right exploits to the right targets. That is why Java exploits have become the vehicle of choice for quickly dispersing lucrative crimeware packages to a wide pool of targets.
This report examines the technical details of the four most commonly exploited Java vulnerabilities. In addition to describing the inner workings of each vulnerability, this report outlines each step of the infection flow of in-the-wild exploit kits that target them.