Sibhost Exploit Kit

The Sibhost Exploit Kit is a PC threat that uses a combination of redirects, browser exploits and software vulnerabilities to install malicious software onto your PC in what is known as a drive-by-download attack. The Sibhost Exploit Kit currently is being leveraged as a means of distributing ransomware Trojans (such as 'You Steal Music I Lock Your PC' Ransomware or the Arestocrat Virus), which lock your OS and display fake legal warnings – usually to try and extort money from their victims. Contact with sites that may host a Sibhost Exploit Kit or redirects to one should be treated as a circumstance wherein your PC can become infected with a high-level PC threat without your knowledge or consent, and SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend preventative defenses against Sibhost Exploit Kit's attacks as much as possible. However, if it's needed, anti-malware programs can be employed for deleting the malicious software installed by the Sibhost Exploit Kit.

The Sibhost Exploit Kit: When an EK Doesn't Have to Be Original to Be Dangerous

The Sibhost Exploit Kit is noted for its major structural similarities to various other exploit kits, including Flimflam and Glazunov (the latter of which also may be detected via Mal/ExpJS-BH, which is an identifier for Web pages compromised by it). Like other EKs, the Sibhost Exploit Kit uses automatic website redirects to force PC users to be exposed to the primary page hosting the Sibhost Exploit Kit's main components, and then uses those components for detecting appropriate software vulnerabilities through which the Sibhost Exploit Kit can install malware. These attacks don't require any prolonged interaction on your part, although SpywareRemove.com malware researchers have noted that the Sibhost Exploit Kit is dependent on Java, like most similar PC threats.

Some of the technical details of the Sibhost Exploit Kit's structure, such as its string encryption method and means of packaging its payload (inside of a XOR-encoded Java Archive file) are very similar to those of the Flimflam and Glazunov Exploit Kits. This has caused some PC malware researchers to speculate that the Sibhost Exploit Kit actually is either a variant of Glazunov or produced by the same set of criminals. The similarities between these different exploit kits is indicative of how the malware industry constantly is developing new ways to deliver malicious software straight to your PC without needing you to download anything intentionally.

The Results of a Fleeting Brush with a Sibhost Exploit Kit

Ordinarily, brushing past a stranger in the street will give you a few germs, and in a similar fashion, the Sibhost Exploit Kit, as a PC threat that's designed explicitly to distribute malware, is happy to hand out digital infections to any vulnerable PC that loads its Web page. The primary locations of redirects promoting Sibhost Exploit Kit sites still are being identified, but SpywareRemove.com malware researchers warn that, in general, Exploit Kit authors are well-known for injecting their malicious code into sites that ordinarily would be safe – but are compromised through poor server software.

The Sibhost Exploit Kit, Flimflam Kit and Glazunov Kit all are used to deliver similar payloads involving ransomware Trojans, which usually will attempt to imitate some form of local legal authority (such as GEMA, the FBI or your national police) while locking your computer. The warning messages related to a ransomware attack, and, in particular, their recommendations to pay a fine (usually through a voucher like Ukash) always should be ignored in favor of deleting the Sibhost Exploit Kit's payload with appropriate anti-malware strategies and software. Of course, if you have good security software to begin with, SpywareRemove.com malware experts would hope it capable of blocking the Sibhost Exploit Kit's initial downloading attack anyway.

Technical Details