Microsoft Honeymonkeys Find Unreported Windows Vulnerabilities

“The software giant’s Cybersecurity and Systems Management (CSM) research group are building a system of virtual Windows XP computers that crawl the web looking for sites that use unreported vulnerabilities to compromise customer’s PCs. Dubbed “honeymonkeys,” the virtual machines run a full version of Windows XP with monitoring software and crawl high-risk areas of the web looking for trouble.

The virtual PCs will crawl the seedier side of the web, which Wang calls the Exploit-Net, using addresses culled from spam email message and from the users of Microsoft’s anti-spyware network. In addition, the virtual machines, which can test 7,000 sites a day, will crawl through the top million legitimate links just to check that no spyware has infected popular sites.

The research is part of Microsoft’s continuing effort to rein in the potential effects of vulnerabilities in Windows XP.”
Some excerpts from The Register