Remote File Inclusion (RFI) Attacks Proliferate into Widespread Malware-Spreading Epidemic

Remote File Inclusion (RFI) attacks, or instances where computer servers that run Web sites and other online applications are targeted through discovered vulnerabilities, are apparently more widespread than security researchers initially believed.

Web applications and the widespread usage of servers or 'cloud computing' is one of the latest hot items on the Internet driving many application environments on the web. In recent RFI attacks, many of them overlooked, user-inputs and file-validation vulnerabilities were exploited to upload malware. The particular malware uploaded to these servers where ones that allows an attacker to gain high-privileged access to the server. In obtaining this access, it could give a remote attack the ability to access websites and web apps running on the attacked server.

RFI attacks are ones that mostly rely on zero-day vulnerabilities or failure of administrators and webmasters to properly update or patch a discovered security holes. It is those security holes that allow RFI attacks to penetrate servers and ultimately allow control of any web apps or websites contained within. In such cases, hackers could manipulate web apps and websites to spread massive payloads of malware onto computers that access the apps or sites.

At one time, it was thought that RFI attacks were something to put on the back burner because it was not in the limelight of hacker attacks like cases where botnets infiltrated hundreds to thousands of vulnerable systems. With a properly orchestrate RFI attack, the injection of malware could proliferate thousands of systems that may end up accessing a hacked entity like a website or web app running on an attacked server.

Some computer researchers have turned the tables in an effort to warn and educate on the eminent dangers of RFI attacks, and how widespread they have become. The infographic below is a visual representation of how RFI attacks are become the norm and the many avenues the attackers driving home server and site takeovers have flourished over the course this year. Intriguing computer users, security researchers, and webmasters will take delight in the infographic below through the realization of how pertinent RFI attacks have become in the whole scope of everyday hacking and spread of malware.

RFI Attacks Widespread Infographic - Source: Incapsula