Which browser-based attack uses a browser to host persistent malicious code that survives page navigation and closes?

• A. Cookies
• B. CAPTCHA
• C. MarioNet
• D. Security Management Exploits

Answer: (C)

Browsers can be turned into persistent, remote-controlled agents. In this kind of attack, malicious code runs inside the browser and stays active across page navigations and even after a tab is closed, by leveraging background execution mechanisms such as service workers or other browser background processes. This enables the attacker to orchestrate actions on many machines from within the browser, effectively turning each compromised browser into a node of a botnet. That described behavior is what MarioNet refers to—the browser-based botnet concept where malicious code persists in the browser environment beyond single page loads and closures.

Cookies, by contrast, are just small pieces of data stored by the browser to remember state; they don’t execute code or provide ongoing control over a user’s session. CAPTCHA is a test designed to distinguish humans from automated bots, not an attack method. Security Management Exploits isn’t a recognized term for a browser-based persistence attack.