Hackers have injected malicious code into hundreds of thousands of reputable web pages, turning them into launchpads for attacks that silently install malware on the machines of those who visit them. The UK's Civil Service and the United Nations were among those who had been hacked.

This Yahoo search (http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu5m2yw9I41EA.JpXNyoA?p=nihaorr1&y=Search&fr=yfp-t-501&ei=UTF-8) returned 173,000 results for the term "nihaorr1," which is part of the address that uses a malicious javascript to attack end users. The rogue URL horns its way onto web pages through a SQL injection vulnerability in IIS and possibly other web servers, according to IT-related web forums.

Websense, which wrote about the mass infection (http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Alerts/3070.aspx) Tuesday, said the attackers perpetrated a similar assault a few weeks ago on news and travel sites. Little is known about the group responsible, except that they're using the nihaorr1.com domain name, which appears (http://whois.domaintools.com/nihaorr1.com) on the surface to be registered to someone in Shanghai.

Users visiting an infected site will be redirected to a series of sites that eventually tries to exploit eight different vulnerabilities, all of which have been patched.

We've written plenty about vulnerabilities in browsers, media players and other types of software that are triggered only after the mark visits a website under the control of the attacker. Almost inevitably, a Reg reader comments that only a fool would be drawn to such a place. As mass infections like this one make clear, anyone who visits pages belonging to well-known news and travel sites, the United Nations or governmental agencies on either side of the Atlantic is susceptible.

So if you haven't patched that old version of iTunes or AIM in a while, now might a good time. ®

Related stories

Scareware runs amok on PlayStation site (3 July 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/07/03/playstation_hack/
Microsoft and HP tackle SQL-injection scourge (26 June 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/06/26/microsoft_hp_sql_injection_tools/
Tennis sites hit by drive-by download attacks (25 June 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/06/25/sql_injection_attacks/
'Legit' website compromises reach epidemic proportions (5 June 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/06/05/scansafe_web_malware_survey/
Cybercrooks plant phishing scam on crime reduction website (3 June 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/06/03/home_office_crime_reduction_hack/
Phoenix Mars website invaded by hackers (2 June 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/06/02/hackers_invade_phoenix_mars_website/
Mass SQL injection hits English language websites (21 May 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/05/21/china_sql_injection_attack/
Botnet sics zombie soldiers on gimpy websites (14 May 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/05/14/asprox_attacks_websites/
Department of Homeland Security website hacked! (25 April 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/25/mass_web_attack_grows/
Harman hack horror has blog backing Boris (25 April 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/25/harriet_harman_website_hacked/
Security experts warn against Web 2.0 charlatans and 'premature AJAXulation' (14 April 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/14/ajax_charlatans_old_school_attack/
Database Trojan infests pro-Tibet websites (14 April 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/04/14/database_trojan/
Mystery web infection grows, but cause remains elusive (16 January 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/01/16/mysterious_web_infection_continues/
Mass web infection leaves researcher scratching her head (11 January 2008)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2008/01/11/mysterious_web_infection/
Hackers turn Cleveland into malware server (8 January 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/08/malicious_website_redirectors/
IndiaTimes website 'attacks visitors' (10 November 2007)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/11/10/india_times_under_attack/