Which attack involves compromising a specific website likely to be visited by a target organization to distribute malware to visitors?

Which attack involves compromising a specific website likely to be visited by a target organization to distribute malware to visitors?

• A. Phishing
• B. Watering Hole Attack
• C. Man-in-the-middle Attack
• D. Drive-By Download

Answer: (B)

Targeted compromise of a website that a specific group is known to visit in order to deliver malware to its visitors. In a watering hole attack, the attacker researches which sites the target organization or group frequents and then compromises one or more of those sites. When members of the target visit the site, their browsers can be served with exploit code or malware, often through a drive-by download or exploit kit, without the user taking any explicit action. This approach leverages trust in legitimate sites the targets already visit, making it a highly targeted infection method. This differs from phishing, which relies on deceiving individuals into clicking links or entering credentials via fake emails. It also differs from a man-in-the-middle attack, which aims to intercept or alter communications between two parties rather than delivering malware by compromising a commonly visited site. While a drive-by download can be part of a watering hole attack, the essence here is the strategic compromise of a site trusted by the target to spread malware.

Targeted compromise of a website that a specific group is known to visit in order to deliver malware to its visitors. In a watering hole attack, the attacker researches which sites the target organization or group frequents and then compromises one or more of those sites. When members of the target visit the site, their browsers can be served with exploit code or malware, often through a drive-by download or exploit kit, without the user taking any explicit action. This approach leverages trust in legitimate sites the targets already visit, making it a highly targeted infection method.

This differs from phishing, which relies on deceiving individuals into clicking links or entering credentials via fake emails. It also differs from a man-in-the-middle attack, which aims to intercept or alter communications between two parties rather than delivering malware by compromising a commonly visited site. While a drive-by download can be part of a watering hole attack, the essence here is the strategic compromise of a site trusted by the target to spread malware.