Watering Hole Attack is a type of cyber attack that targets a specific type of user or group of users by infecting websites commonly visited by the intended victims. It is a type of drive by download attack which is conducted by exploiting vulnerabilities in the website’s code.
The attacker identifies a popular website which the targeted victim(s) will visit and compromises the website with malicious software (malware). This technique is preferred by attackers as it can achieve a high success rate in targeting individuals, because the victims visit the website expecting it to be trusted.
The goal of the attack is twofold, one, to exploit vulnerable visitors, and two, to gain insight into the victim’s organization. The attacker can now gain the victims’ confidential data or infect downstream computer systems with other malicious programs such as keyloggers, backdoors, and Trojans.
To prevent widespread attacks, the best practice is to ensure regular maintenance and patching of websites in order to detect and remove any vulnerabilities. Additionally, user education is critical in making the user aware of the risks of visiting different websites.
