Malware attack architecture
Let's take a look at the following five pillars (stages) in the architecture of a malware attack:
Entry Stage: This is the point from where the malware attempts to enter the victim's system. This could be done via a drive by downloading or clicking a link in an e-mail, which could result in a browser hijack that directs the victim to where the attacker wants them to go.
Distribution Stage: The moment the victim connects to a malicious website, the site directs the victim seamlessly to a Traffic Distribution Server (TDS). This determines the victim's OS and browser. A TDS can be quite sophisticated and can filter out connection requests based on the browser type, OS, IP addresses, and other criteria. At this stage, the TDS can be set to drop or redirect requests to decoy sites from known IP addresses of security researchers, antivirus, or malware firms. These IP addresses that meet the preset criteria are directed to the third stage.
Exploit Stage: At this stage...
