Drive-by Download

Computers that are victimized by a drive-by download normally suffer from errors or corruptions in a web browser. Other components such as a web-based scripting engine or multimedia application or plug-in may also be the cause. This mostly occurs for two reasons. First of all, it’s often difficult for a user to avoid flaws in security while providing the service and functionality expected by web surfers. All programs have experienced security issues at one time or another. The fact that bugs usually aren’t fixed immediately, and that most users do not update the software as recommended, has led to a large amount of probable victims. Aside from that, a computer can be easily exploited unknowingly through legitimate, mainstream services due to third-party advertising on the site. If the advertising group consists of or has been infiltrated by malicious code writers, this content can be slithered into an official ad rotation and becomes injected into what is believed to be a reputable site. The best advice at prevention of a drive-by download is for a user to limit web surfing to sites that are proven to protect against this method.