The term search engine optimization (SEO) rings a bell for many who are familiar with the tricks that change online search results to generate traffic for successful websites.
From the point of view of a Web content provider, SEO is considered a Web marketing tactic used by several, often legitimate, marketing departments and agencies. The goal of SEO is to increase the volume and enhance the quality of visitor traffic. It's all about ranking!
However, it can also be used for a different and sinister purpose more popularly known as black hat SEO. Malware writers are now riding on this widespread technique to infect the systems of unsuspecting users. Here's a quick guide for spotting websites using black hat SEO for malicious intent:
Exact keyword matching is a common attribute of websites utilizing black hat SEO. Sites that contain all the common terms have outstanding chances of being on the top of the search results lists. These sites appear at the top because their content matches all terms. This makes it an effective method used by cyber criminals to spread their "wares." The best examples of this kind of attack happen at Christmas, Easter, or when events of general interest occur like the unexpected death, marriage, or birth of a child of a celebrity.
Carefully observe links. Take note of the URLs of the links you click. If the URL on your address bar changes without any prior notification, this is a clear sign of suspicious activity within the Web page you accessed, which can redirect you to other malicious pages.
Using anonymous search engines apart from the commonly used Google, Yahoo, and Bing can also lead unsuspecting users to malicious Web pages. Alternative search engines can also be compromised by cyber criminals in order to serve malware, depending on certain keywords. In other cases, alternative search engines may also deliver unfiltered results, mixing malware sites with legitimate ones.
Be wary of sites that are specifically designed to host or link ads. In most cases, the site itself may not be malicious but redirections from it can lead to spam sites and outright malicious FAKEAV or Fake Antivirus links that will reveal its true nature in the end.
Today's threat landscape has grown increasingly complex and black hat SEO will definitely continue to persist as a technique to infect systems. User awareness is key as well as using multilayered Internet security software and defense against malicious URLs, spam, and black hat SEO exploits.
Maria Christina Cruz writes for TrendLabs Malware Blog on different internet security topics like black hat or poisoned SEO.
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