Google analysis has revealed that websites dedicated to attack other sites by malware distribution are gaining ground once again.

A Google Safe Browsing service analysis, which collects around five years’ worth of information,  unveiled on the company’s online security blog that dedicated attack websites are making a comeback after figures declined last year.

Based on the report, the malicious websites avert detection by Google’s Safe Browsing service through the adoption of several methods, which include “rapidly changing their location through free web hosting, dynamic DNS records, and automated generation of new domain names.”

The search and online advertising giant said that social media’s rapid increase in popularity has made it a likely target for most attackers, with technical exploits turning more difficult to do.

The report said,

As companies have designed browsers and plugins to be more secure over time, malware purveyors have also employed social engineering, where the malware author tries to deceive the user into installing malicious software without the need for any software vulnerabilities.

While we see socially engineered attacks still trailing behind drive by downloads in frequency, this is a fast-growing category likely due to improved browser security.

The Safe Browsing data revealed that phishing websites have become excessively abundant every month, which reached a five-year ceiling of 300,000 websites this year.

Dedicated attack websites are making headway through phishing and malware distribution. (Image: Widjaya Ivan, via Flickr / CC)

Google detects 9,500 new malicious websites daily on average, of which several are clean-handed (we fell victim to one of these last week) but compromised by malware creators, and others sites built with the intention of distributing or phishing malware.

The study further highlighted that the number of infected sites reached a ceiling in 2009, and has since continued to decline from roughly 350,000 to around 150,000 websites discovered monthly.

About Francis Rey Balolong

A coffee junkie who spends most of his time writing about the latest news on social media and mobile technology. I would definitely consider myself a nerd (in the coolest most hipster way possible). That being said, I love technology, music, writing, and all things mobile. Follow me: Google+ Twitter

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