1.2 million infected by Eleonore exploits toolkit

AVG’s Web security research team has discovered a network of 1.2 million malware-infected computers controlled by cybercriminals who were using the Eleonore exploit toolkit – a commercial attack software enabling cybercriminals to infect and monitor compromised PCs.

The two-month-long study by AVG Research researched 165 Eleonore toolkits in use by cybercriminals and concluded that those using the Eleonore exploit toolkit were experiencing a 10 percent success rate in infecting the more than 12 million users visiting their compromised web pages.

All 165 domains experienced high volumes of traffic which the cybercriminals managed to compromise. The research was built using AVG LinkScanner product data, identifying URLs that the product blocked when it identified a threat.

“The accessibility and sophistication of easy-to-use cybercriminal toolkits proves that cyber gangs are raising the bar to monetize their criminal activities,” said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, senior vice president, AVG Technologies.