Chapter 28 – Man-in-the-Browser Attacks in Modern Web Browsers

Man-in-the-browser is a Trojan that infects a Web browser. A Trojan has the ability to modify Web pages and online transaction content, or insert itself in a covert manner, without the user noticing anything suspicious. This chapter presents a study of several man-in-the-browser attacks that tamper with the user’s transactions and examines different attack vectors on several software layers. We conclude that there are many possible points of attack on different software layers and components of a Web browser, as the user’s transaction data flows through these layers. We also propose some countermeasures to mitigate these attacks. Our conceptual solution is based on cryptographic identification and integrity monitoring of software components.