Malware: Fighting Malicious Code

Conclusions

Keep smiling through, just like you always do,'Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away.

—Vera Lynn, in 1942, singing “We'll Meet Again” written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles

As we've seen throughout this chapter, malicious mobile code thrives in environments where untrusted programs are allowed to execute on end users' systems. Researchers and attackers alike have demonstrated numerous ways in which rogue browser scripts, ActiveX controls, and Java applets can undermine security of our systems. Although malicious mobile code is certainly a force to be reckoned with, let's end this chapter on a somewhat positive note.

Pressured by vulnerability advisories, media attention, and customer feedback, software vendors are shipping ...