We’re seeing a rise in malware in Google’s
search results
Thanks to new techniques in both “Black Hat SEO” and “Malvertising”, you can’t let
your guard down around sites Google displays: even those could be compromised
by cybercriminals if you’re not careful.
Here’s what we know:
1.
Google search results can lead to malicious sites Criminals have been buying ad space to infect devices with malware.
2. Black Hats cause big headaches Using underhanded tactics to get higher Google rankings, criminals can promote
scam websites.
3.
Targeted attacks
Most of these hackers are targeting popular streaming platforms or specific
software.
Source: Avast Threat Labs
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3 ways to protect yourself from malicious search results
Remember these key points:
Always check the URL Check the URL for errors such as spelling and spam features. And if
you’re searching for something specific, be cautious when using the ad
results search engines may provide: there’s a chance those are fake
websites created by hackers.
Keep your Web Shield up While you want to avoid infected websites as a matter of course, your
Avast antivirus will still help prevent fake websites from infecting you.
Try to avoid going into too much detail
Most of these infected websites appear when you’re almost too specific
about what you’re looking for. Broaden your searches for a wider range:
you’re less likely to find infected sites this way. Check out an example
on the next page.
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Here are some examples of how it looks
Take particular note of how the URL looks very different from the Google search
result: that’s often your first and best clue that something is amiss and that webpage
is to be avoided.
Source: Avast Threat Labs. Real samples found in the wild, not generated by
us. Any logos or trademarks displayed are the registered trademarks of the
respective brands
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We hope this has been useful!
Finding out that you can’t always trust search results to be safe is definitely
annoying, to say the least. But we hope that, by providing you with the correct tips
and mindset to protect yourself, we can help make your online life even safer. From all of us here at Avast, stay safe both online and off.
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