Hackers move to create next Blackhole after 'Paunch' arrest

SecuritySecurity researchers have called Blackhole one of the Internet's most prevalent threats over the past few years. RSA Security, a division of EMC, estimates that between 75% and 80% of all web threats over the past two years are linked to Blackhole. Alles zu Security auf CIO.de

The exploit kit's distribution and support model is especially noteworthy, said Alex Cox, a principal security researcher on RSA's FirstWatch team.

"The way Paunch developed and marketed Blackhole was really kind of unheard of," Cox said. Unlike many other exploit kits, Blackhole has been available to hackers to buy or rent, Cox said.

While other exploit kits typically cost thousands of dollars, Blackhole can be rented for as litle as $200 to $300 per week.

Blackhole's user interface, available web-based support and frequent updates have also contributed to the exploit's success, Cox noted. "Paunch was very good at putting in Zero Day and near Zero Day exploits and adding new software support," he said.