The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Categories
Security Virus/Malware

Operation “Aurora”: Zero Day Exploit

Users of Microsoft Internet Explorer should be aware of a new zero-day exploit dubbed “Operation ‘Aurora'”. This exploit, which has been demonstrated effective in Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8, allows a remote attacker to gain full control over a target computer.

Users who fall victim to this attack are usually the targets of “spear phishing” (a phishing attacked directed to a specific person or group of people.) They receive a link from someone (e.g. over IM, e-mail) and are directed to a website with specially crafted Javascript code. At this point, if the person being attacked is using Internet Explorer, the code causes a moment of confusion that allows the attacker to inject arbitrary code into the target system. In the worst case, this allows the attacker to take full control over the exploited computer. The entire process can be viewed below thanks to the crew at the security blog Praetorian Prefect. They have a great explanation of the exploit here and a video here.

OIT Software Support recommends that users of Internet Explorer switch to another web browser for the time being. A list of supported browsers can be found here on our website. Follow the link for your operating system.

As always, make sure to update your operating system often. Directions for that process can be found here.