What is Watering Hole Attack?

A watering hole attack is a type of cyberattack that targets user groups by infecting websites that they often visit. This concept of a watering hole gets its name from the predatory animals that lurk about them and wait for a chance to ambush victims when they are not on guard. 

 

Similar to this, watering hole attackers watch specialty websites for opportunities to infect them with malware so that they may then infect their targets. 

 

A watering hole attack is distinct from phishing and spear-phishing attacks, which often aim to steal data or infect users' devices with malware but are frequently similarly focused, efficient, and difficult to avoid. Instead, a watering hole attack seeks to infect consumers' PCs before gaining access to a linked corporate network.

 

Cybercriminals can access important company networks without authorization by using this attack vector to steal intellectual property, financial information, and personal information.

 

Watering hole attacks are still quite successful despite being extremely infrequent. Because cyber criminals utilize zero-day exploits that antivirus detectors and scanners would not discover, they target lawful websites that cannot be banned. Watering hole attacks pose a serious risk to individuals and organizations who do not adhere to security best practices.

 

How Does a Watering Hole Attack Work?

 

In a "watering hole attack," hackers wait for an opening to strike by lurking on trustworthy websites. Popular consumer websites can be compromised by attackers seeking to make money or create a botnet. 

 

Attackers typically target open websites that specialists from particular sectors visit, such as discussion forums, industry conventions, and organizations that uphold industry standards.

 

The attacker begins by identifying their targets, who are typically workers for major corporations, governmental institutions, or human rights organizations, and learning what kinds of websites they frequently visit. The attacker looks for a weakness in a website, develops an exploit to compromise it, infects the website, and waits for a victim in the shadows.

 

They frequently insert malicious Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or JavaScript code into a website to infect it. This sends users to a specific, probably spoofed page that contains the attacker's infection.

 

A drive-by attack—also referred to as a watering hole attack—sees a cybercriminal distribute and install malware without the target noticing it. This depends on the user placing enough faith in the website they visit to download a file without understanding it contains malware. 

 

To get remote access to the victim's computer in this situation, the attacker is probably going to utilize malware like a Remote Access Trojan (RAT). 

 

Attacks at watering holes are comparable to spear phishing. They both aim to accomplish the same thing—convincing a victim to do something that compromises their confidential information. 

 

This usually entails sending the intended recipient a personalized email or instant message, asking them to open an attachment or click on a link, and then using that information to compromise their security. There's no need to entice the victim into compromising oneself in the case of a watering hole attack.

 

An intentional online attack technique is a watering hole attack. An organization is targeted, and the attacker either makes a guess about or keeps track of the websites the organization's members commonly visit. The attacker then uses a zero-day vulnerability to infect one or more of these sites with malware. 

 

An organization member's device will eventually get infected, at which time the attacker may have access to it and maybe the network of the organization. The aim of this attack is to steal key business systems and assets, as is the case with many, if not most, internet attacks, as well as intellectual property, financial information, and personal information.

 

How is Watering Hole Attack Different From Other Cyber Attacks?

 

When a watering hole is attacked, it's like poisoning the village's water supply and waiting for others to drink from it. Phishing is like handing random individuals poisoned sweets and hoping they eat it.

 

The watering hole serves as more than simply a spot for lions to rehydrate; it also serves as the ideal location for ambushes of unaware prey. The energy-saving predator finds it far simpler to wait for prey to congregate than it does to seek them down and attack them.

 

When using this approach to launch a cyberattack, the hacker's strategy is much the same: infect a website that people from a certain group of people frequently visit (whether it's a major corporation, a religious organization, or another group), then wait.

 

The malware can infiltrate the end user's machine and obtain access to their network when the "prey" signs on. However, unlike the antelope, a victim of a cyberattack could not become aware of their demise for a very long time.

 

Attack success rates continue to be high as attackers build new websites or infiltrate trustworthy websites and programs that aren't blacklisted, frequently utilizing zero-day and obfuscated vulnerabilities with no antivirus signatures.

 

The water hole attack is particularly malicious since it's hard to detect and depends on social engineering, which takes advantage of human mistakes, even if it's not a hacker's typical method of operation.

 

Techniques used in Watering Hole Attacks

 

1. Cross-site scripting (XSS): A hacker can install malicious scripts into a website's content to lead users to hostile websites using this injection attack.

 

2. SQL Injection: SQL injection attacks may be used by hackers to steal data.

 

3. DNS cache poisoning: Also known as DNS spoofing, this manipulation method is used by hackers to redirect targets to malicious pages.

 

4. Drive-by downloads: Targets at a watering hole may download harmful content without their awareness, consent, or action via a drive-by download.

 

5. Malvertising: Malvertising occurs when hackers inject harmful code into adverts at a watering hole in order to transmit malware to their target.

 

6. Zero-day exploitations: Threat actors can exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in a website or browser to provide a watering hole for attackers.

 

Steps of a Watering Hole Attack

 

A watering hole attack may go like this:

 

1. The attacker begins by creating a profile on each member of the organization they have attacked, be it a major business, a government entity, an activist group, etc. 

 

The attacker wants to learn which websites the organization's members commonly visit. These websites would generally be forums, industry conferences, trade associations, etc.

 

2. Once the attacker gets a selection of popular websites, they check them for security flaws.

 

3. The attacker can create an exploit to hack the website after they have identified a relevant vulnerability.

 

4. The attacker then uses their exploit to infect the website. Usually, this is done by inserting a webpage with some malicious HTML or Javascript code. For instance, the malicious code can link the user to a false website that impersonates the real one but is run by the attacker.

 

5. The attacker can then get hold of the victim's confidential data, including banking information, company credentials, account numbers, sensitive documents, etc.

 

Also Read | Types of Phishing Attacks

 

How to prevent Watering Hole Attacks?

 

There are a number of ways to mitigate the risks of a watering hole attack. Organizations may protect their networks and users against watering hole attacks by using the recommended practices listed below: 

---

How to prevent Watering Hole Attack?

---

 

1. Vulnerability Analysis

 

Scan for vulnerabilities on a regular basis. Once more, this might not shield you from zero-day vulnerabilities as the vulnerability scanner vendor won't be aware of it. Additionally, scanning on its own is insufficient. The ability to repair any vulnerabilities it identifies makes it worthwhile, and it will also aid in hardening your web server.

 

2. Patches for Safety

 

Installation of security fixes should be done as soon as possible. One of the strongest defenses against any kind of internet attack is having software that has been updated. 

 

However, if a hacker creates an exploit before the security patch is installed, it won't help you much. The chance of a zero-day attack happening increases with the length of the security update application delay.

 

3. Validation of Input

 

This is a significant issue that affects more than just zero-day exploits. On your website or application, don't believe what users say. Perform input validation if you need user input to stop corrupt data from entering your system and potentially jeopardizing it.

 

4. Bug bounty schemes

 

Create a bug bounty programme to incentivize security researchers to hunt for and report the vulnerabilities in your software rather than trading them for money. A bug bounty programme will almost definitely be less expensive than dealing with a breach.

 

Web gateways that identify known attack signatures may find opportunistic watering hole attacks. But more often than not, these smart hackers' new attack routes will cause more dynamic security systems that can recognize, monitor, and stop harmful activities and bar users from visiting dubious websites.

 

5. Make use of a secure web gateway

 

Setting up a secure online gateway is advised (SWG). An SWG enacts acceptable usage guidelines and screens out web-based dangers. Instead of connecting directly to a website, users visit a SWG first, which links them to the website while filtering and blocking any objectionable network activity. 

 

This makes it possible for organization members to access the internet safely. It aids in preventing the download of malware or rootkits and limits access to dangerous websites, all of which are essential for avoiding watering hole attacks.

 

6. Software upgrades

 

In order to mitigate watering hole attacks and any other kind of online attack, it's crucial to keep your systems and software updated and to apply operating system patches as soon as they become available. The strongest defense against the most recent known software vulnerabilities in the programmes you use online is updated software.

 

7. Unreliable traffic

 

Consider any traffic passing via the network of your company to be untrusted until its legitimacy has been verified, including third-party traffic. This can strengthen your company's defenses against various online dangers, and monitoring network activity is always a smart idea. You may also use it to spot strange traffic patterns.

 

Also Read | What are Ransomware Attacks and How can they be Prevented?

 

As long as attackers can use genuine resources as a springboard for strikes, this attack will undoubtedly continue. This includes manipulating search engine results, publishing content on well-known social networks, and hosting malware on reputable file-sharing websites.