Browser hijackers raking in millions

Browser hijacking software causes no lasting damage to users' PCs

Criminal networks are making gangs millions of pounds a year through browser hijacker Trojans which redirect users to sponsored advertising, according to research from security vendor Trend Micro.

In a blog post, the vendor explained that a criminal gang could generate several million pounds a year in profits with a network of around 150,000 bots just by hijacking search results.

These botnets need constant feeding, as computers may get removed from it. In order to make up for these losses, Trend said that herders are "constantly infecting" new systems - tens of thousands of machines every day, in fact.

In the case of one botnet, more than two million computers have been infected this year, and this is likely to double by the winter.

The botnet criminal is a patient one, according to Trend, which said that, rather than make a quick buck, they prefer to wait until the botnet is fully formed and is able to harvest the most cash from victims.

"Most cyber crime gangs are not interested in just making a quick profit or in retiring early," advanced threats researcher Feike Hacquebord wrote in the blog post.

"They treat cyber crime as a serious and lucrative business venture, and are happy to patiently expand their criminal networks while trying to hide their malicious activities from the rest of the world. By victimising many users, it can earn millions of dollars in profit annually."

Typically, bot networks are made up of more than 100 servers spread across the world. Their bosses are cash rich and able to quickly scale up and take advantage of any criminal activities that come their way. Because of this, Trend said, the "collateral damage that their activities cause is huge".