Malware 'can attack' through screen scraping

2009-07-14

Once malware is installed on a platform it can be used in a variety of ways to attack a computer, including screen scraping, it has been said.

Screen scraping malware operates by reading the application screen buffer and then taking the data from it, according to research scientists and engineers for Intel Labs named Ravi Sahita, Ulhas Warrier and Prashant Dewan, in an article on Dr Dobb's.

Malware can also attack through key logging when it hooks kernel keyboard handlers, thereby allowing it to access user input, while circumvention attacks see malware obfuscating an application's resources and in turn making sure the application does not run securely, the researchers explained.

They added that reports from security vendors have revealed that malware is becoming increasingly surreptitious and in more different forms.

Payment services firm HomeATM recently asserted in its blog that the internet is full of dangers such as screen scraping and data stealing malware.