Hackers are getting control of web servers for different reasons, the main ones being the ability to control a server and spread malware. Often, these two objectives go hand in hand.
Why do hackers want to control a web server? Because a server is often hundreds of times more powerful than a workstation and that allows them to have a platform to launch attacks from a single point, rather than having to deal with multiple workstations. Servers are often also connected to larger bandwidths, enabling these attacks to be increasingly efficient. They are also online 24/7. Users don’t turn them off at night as they tend to do with a personal computer. And they are connected to public IP addresses on a public network, not in someone’s home or office. A server can, and most times is, used as a command and control center to manage a network of zombies – a botnet. Finally, a server can be used to ‘serve’ malware. In this case, the web server may not even look compromised, and yet malware lurks in the background, ready to attack unaware browsers.
Read more at the article below.
