Cyber Security

Formjacking is becoming a significant threat to e-commerce, affecting both businesses and their customers. This type of cyberattack uses malicious JavaScript to hijack sensitive information entered into web forms through a browser.

As users input their data, the attackers secretly capture it, leading to serious privacy and financial risks. It’s important to understand how formjacking works and the best ways to detect and prevent it.

Read on to discover more about formjacking attacks and how to protect your business from this rising danger!

What is Formjacking?

Formjacking is a cyberattack where hackers inject malicious JavaScript code into web forms, specifically targeting payment forms and shopping carts on e-commerce websites. This malicious code runs on the client side, directly in the user’s browser, without their awareness.

As customers enter their payment or personal information into the web form, the code transmits this data to the attacker, effectively carrying out a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack. This allows attackers to steal sensitive information discreetly, posing a significant risk to online security.

In its 2019 report, Symantec found that an average of 4,800 websites were compromised with formjacking code each month. This highlights how serious this attack is and how strong prevention and protection are needed.

Other Names for Formjacking Attacks

Other common names for formjacking attacks are payment skimming, web skimming, e-skimming, and JavaScript skimming attacks.

How Does Formjacking Work?

Exploit Vulnerability

Formjacking starts by exploiting vulnerabilities often found in:

• Third-party plugins
• Outdated software or configuration
• Insecure code within a website
• Access to a system password
• The CMS
• A JavaScript supply chain attack

Attackers target these weak spots in web applications to inject malicious code.

Install Malicious Script

After exploiting a vulnerability, the attacker installs a malicious script within an HTML tag of the targeted web application. This script is usually hosted on a remote server, making it harder to detect.

It’s designed to capture sensitive information from users interacting with the compromised web forms.

Obfuscate the Script

To avoid detection, attackers often obfuscate the malicious script. They hide the code by encoding it in complex strings or disguising it with common types of code that blend in with legitimate scripts. This makes the malicious script difficult to spot, allowing it to operate unnoticed for longer periods.

Skim End User Data

When a user interacts with the compromised web form, the malicious script is triggered. The script then steals data in real-time and sends it directly to the attacker’s remote server, all without the user’s knowledge.

Sell Data on the Dark Web or Use It to Breach Other Systems

Once the end-user data is stolen, attackers either sell it on the dark web or use it to breach other systems. Stolen information is highly valuable in the cybercriminal marketplace.

Alternatively, attackers may use the data to carry out further attacks, such as accessing other accounts linked to the compromised information.

How to Detect Formjacking

Several third-party tools can help detect formjacking. Here are some of them:

• Web application firewalls (WAFs) like Akamai and Cloudflare to monitor and block suspicious activities.
• Content Security Policy (CSP) headers implementation to restrict where JavaScript is loaded from, preventing unauthorized scripts from running.
• Regularly scan your website with security tools like Sucuri or SiteLock to detect and alert you to any malicious code injected.
• Use Code Integrity Monitoring tools like Tripwire or Veracode to identify unauthorized changes in your site’s scripts. 

Using these tools together increases your chances of catching and stopping formjacking attacks.

How to Prevent Formjacking

You need a multi-layered approach to prevent formjacking attacks. Check out these steps:

• Start by keeping all software, plugins, and CMS platforms up to date.
• Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to control which scripts can run on your site.
• Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) to block malicious traffic before it reaches your site. 
• Regularly scan your website to detect and remove any injected malicious code.
• Ensure that data transmitted through web forms is encrypted using SSL/TLS certificates, so even if intercepted, it remains unreadable.
• Reduce reliance on third-party scripts to minimize vulnerabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

In conclusion, formjacking poses a significant threat to e-commerce businesses, putting both customer information and your reputation at risk. Understanding the mechanics of this attack and implementing strong detection and prevention measures is essential to protect your site.

Contact Fluxgate today for expert assistance in protecting your business from formjacking and other cybersecurity threats.