Haute Secure - Blocking drive-by malware downloads

by Ryan Naraine  |  July 18, 2007 8:09am PDT  |  Image 1 of 13

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haute_install_1.png

Installation

Haute Secure, an anti-malware start-up founded by four former Microsoft employees, is using a new browser toolbar to block drive-by exploits from compromising Windows computers.

The idea is to fit behavior-based profiling algorithms into an Internet Explorer toolbar to identify and intercept malicious files in real-time.

The tool is currently available as a free beta download from the Haute Secure Web site.

In this gallery, we take a look at the installation and use of Haute Secure on IE 7 (Windows Vista).

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I have old computers..
JCitizen 12th Nov 2007
And I have no perfomance issues with a fully patched Windows box. I do have to watch out for broken drivers; they need to be re-installed or updated also.

Turning off Automatic updates was the biggest performance gain of all; but then I always check for more on patch Tuesdays(manually)..I also reinstall applications as this solves the problem 9 times out of ten. Keep in mind this is not a difficult process as I don't have to do it all the time!

The Securia utility mentioned first in this article can help with this.. It is especially nice to find out which installs are at end of life, so you can trash them.

Getting rid of updates just leaves your butt flying in the breeze. Leaves you open to every vulnerablity known to man. Not good advice. I would keep that one to yourself!
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Get a Mac? [nt]
olePigeon 17th Jul 2007
[nt]
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re: Get a Mac
Intellihence 17th Jul 2007
When you do get a Mac and you are on the desktop , go into the applications folder . Look for Internet Explorer , drag it to the garbage can , and delete it . It's a shame you can't do that on Windows .
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But, but, but....
Hallowed are the Ori 17th Jul 2007
Surely you jest!! There is the "Set Program Access And Defaults" that will.... no wait... that just makes the gullible rubes feel like they've accomplished something, when all they've done is hide Microsoft's browser, (code name Swiss Cheese), from their view.

"Huh? What? But I don't have Internet Explorer!!! How did I get 438 malware packages on my PC?"
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Mac
aussieblnd@... 18th Jul 2007
One can always Dream!
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Because Safari
notsofast 18th Jul 2007
is bullet proof :roll:

That said, unless Safari makes inroads on Windows, nobody will waste time exploiting its security holes. As it stands, the market share is to small to bother for anyone but security guys doing proof of concept, and i suspect they get more for finding holes in Firefox and IE.
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Safari's not foolproof
cuba_pete@... 23rd Jul 2007
One site I visited didn't seem to think Safari was too far out of their way. I got one of those "if you don't download my product, I'll pop-up you to death" bugs. Luckily, it was easily dispatched, unlike some real resilient ones on my dell.
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Wow!
zkiwi 17th Jul 2007
Some ex-softies have decided there is money to be made in blocking drive-by malware for windows. Oh wait, if you believe the "usual suspects" then drive-by exploits for Windows don't exist any more.

Well, good luck to them. If they think there's money out there for them to make off this, well, go for it.
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It's a self sustaining industry,
People 17th Jul 2007
monopolized by MS. DOJ, where are you when we need you.
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Huh?
notsofast 18th Jul 2007
Last I checked, Norton dominated the space.
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Wow! ?
aussieblnd@... 18th Jul 2007
Perhaps they are hoping to make money buy having good old MS buy them out!
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It's not malware...
Cardinal_Bill 17th Jul 2007
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Mouldy pies with built in Alka-Seltzer
whisperycat 18th Jul 2007
One would have thought that if this technique is going to work, Microsoft would have already integrated it into the desperately shoddy IE component of the Windows OS.

Either As it is, one of two things will happen - Microsoft will simply steal this idea and "innovate" it into Windows as an original Microsoft idea, or, the start-up will collect a massive amount of cash from their former employer when they sell out to them.

Microsoft's approach to security has always been analagous to selling mouldy pies with integrated stomach medicine. It's an approach that only a monopoly can profit from.

Choose stomach ache - choose Windows.
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Mouldy pies
aussieblnd@... 18th Jul 2007
Didn't microsoft try this already with something call Windows Defender? Useless junk program that has yet to fix anything!
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Aw you poor IE users get it again !
jackie40d@... 18th Jul 2007
Geez I am glad I got Linux . . No more Patch Tuesday to wonder about and the holes which are not patched or fixed . . I have never known so many people whom would buy car which the tires go flat once a month or more . .
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Hosed by design
Deefburger 18th Jul 2007
Purely By accident, I discovered that the "Patch Tuesday" patches are a huge reason for windows systems slowing down! I had a client that had received a virus that messed up one of his system files. After cleaning out his system, I un-installed a few of his recent patches to restore the file. After rebooting, it seemed a little faster. So, I uninstalled some more patches, and it got faster. I kept going, each reboot going faster and faster until the system wouldn't let me remove them any more. At this point, the system was running like it was new!! I then ran automatic update and let it re-install ONLY the current patches, and it kept running like a champ...until the next malware.

I tried this on a couple of other systems that had not been infected with anything, but were getting slow any way, inspite of running the usual defrag etc. Sure enough, they got their speed back!

Then the wonderus "Genuine Advantage" came out. Can't back that one out, so you can't back out anything else that came before!!!

I turn off Automatic Updates by default. Most of the malware problems that are actually encountered during day to day operations, are stopped by Trend or AVG. Whether the patches are there or not. Should a patch be required for them to function, then all current updates are then downloaded and installed. But in one rare shot, not weekly. This has helped considerably to keep the system's speed up. Speed needed for WORK.

I think MS is using Genuine (Dis)Advantage and patch Tuesday to slowly reduce existing installation to a crawl in order to generate sales of "Newer, Better, Faster" versions.

Hosed again, by design.
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by design
aussieblnd@... 18th Jul 2007
Good Gawd I thought I was the only one who felt this way!
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So, let me get this straight
d.esposito@... 18th Jul 2007
I want to speed up my PC too. I've got to find the windows updates and uninstall them one by one until my computer boots up at the desired speed. Hmmm. Now where do I go to do that again? What? I'm using Linux?

Never mind......
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Same Here
Deefburger 18th Jul 2007
Yeah, me too. OpenSuSE 10.2 x86_64 on my Desktop and
32bit on my G40 Thinkpad. I like it more and more each
day. The only doze-apps I use anymore are Quickbooks
(Switching to GnuCash) and BetZip. I almost have
BetZip figured out in Crossover/Wine.
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Could it be
notsofast 18th Jul 2007
from fragmentation? I know whenever I install windows, i grab all the patches and slipstream a new windows CD.

One thing you can also do is remove all the patch backups. The less you have on an HD the better it performs.
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That's the first place I go...
Deefburger 18th Jul 2007
I have gotten some speed back with smart-placement
defrag tools and file cleanup etc. But nothing like
removing the accumulated patches.
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I have old computers..
JCitizen 12th Nov 2007
And I have no perfomance issues with a fully patched Windows box. I do have to watch out for broken drivers; they need to be re-installed or updated also.

Turning off Automatic updates was the biggest performance gain of all; but then I always check for more on patch Tuesdays(manually)..I also reinstall applications as this solves the problem 9 times out of ten. Keep in mind this is not a difficult process as I don't have to do it all the time!

The Securia utility mentioned first in this article can help with this.. It is especially nice to find out which installs are at end of life, so you can trash them.

Getting rid of updates just leaves your butt flying in the breeze. Leaves you open to every vulnerablity known to man. Not good advice. I would keep that one to yourself!
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Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
GonePhishing 19th Jul 2007
Antivirus is your first line of defense. Antivirus will show that there's a lot of malware attempting to exploit vulnerabilities.

Patch the vulnerabilities anyway.

What antivirus won't show you are the new variants designed to elude antivirus software. Same old vulnerability, new cloak.

Patch the vulnerabilities. Any vendor will tell you; patch the vulnerabilities.

Geez ...
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Retirement is great
GonePhishing 19th Jul 2007
I like not having to work, too.
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DUH Pardon My Ignorance
hugsandblisses 18th Jul 2007
Does this affect XP as well? I don't use IE.
Thanks!
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Another good reason to dump all things Microsoft.
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A bunch of people who don't use Windows sitting around talking about how much Windows sucks and how the poor suckers who bought it are such idiots.1

By the way, I'm on XP SP1 still and I no longer do patches. How many "drive-by" installs or malware have I encountered in my 10 years using the internet? Zero. And that's with IE6. ;-p
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So insecure about their minority choice that they must knock on every thread to proclaim the word.

Using Windows since 3.11. I have Vista and XP2 now. Always kept up to date and Zero landed attacks.

It's so easy to lock down a Windows PC cause there's so many free apps out there to help.
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Blocked Content on both Browers
salmonfire@... 20th Jul 2007
Haute not only did it block content on for a certain friendly website in IE 7, it also blocked it on Firefox, when IE7 was shut down!, unfort i had to uninstall to view the website, as i couldnt figure out how to add domain as friendly.

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ie8 fix

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