Automated SEO poisoning attacks explained

Filed Under: Malware

We've talked many times on this blog about how hackers exploit hot trending news stories using blackhat search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques to poison search engine results. Often this is with the intention of spreading scareware (also known as fake anti-virus attacks).

Sea World killer whale malicious search result

In fact, SEO poisoning is one of the major methods of attack that we are seeing being used by online criminals at the moment.

Fraser and Onur in our labs have written an excellent technical paper (PDF) which discusses the problem, and lifts the lid on how the bad guys are using automated kits to do their dirty work for them.

SEO poisoning technical paper

It's a great read. Check it out now.

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About the author

Graham Cluley is senior technology consultant at Sophos. The readers of Computer Weekly voted him security blogger of the year in 2009 and 2010, and he pipped Stephen Fry to the title of "Twitter user of the year" too. Which was nice. He was also named "Best Security Blogger" by the readers of SC Magazine in 2011. You can subscribe to Graham's updates on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and circle him on Google Plus for regular updates.