In the last few days, there has apparently been a surge of badware-distributing web sites that trick search engines into thinking they’re legitimate. Researchers at Sunbelt Software first reported the gaming of Google results a few days ago, with articles following from the BBC, ComputerWorld, and others. Google* has reportedly removed the offending sites from its results, saying violations of its quality guidelines can lead to removal from its index. The gaming attacks have also affected other major search engines, though reports indicate the exploits on the malicious websites were coded to target only Google searchers.
The attacks were carried out on massive numbers of newly registered domains, apparently primarily hosted in the US but registered in China. Be suspicious of highly ranked search results that appear to be from a US-based site, but that link to a .cn (Chinese) or other national domain in the website’s address, and of websites whose addresses are entirely strings of random characters without any words or names. As always, an important part of protecting yourself online is keeping your software – including browsers, anti-virus and anti-spyware applications – up to date. If you suspect your computer may have been infected, check out our tips for badware removal.
* Note: Google is a StopBadware sponsor and partner.
