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Search Engine Optimization Poisoning Way Up In '10

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the someone-warn-snow-white dept.

alphadogg writes "Cybercrooks continue to abuse the Web, boosting their ability to produce what's called search engine optimization poisoning so that individuals making use of search engines such as Google's increasingly are ending up with choices that are dangerous malware-laden URL links. Some 22.4% of Google searches done since June produced malicious URLs, typically leading to fake antivirus sites or malware-laden downloads as part of the top 100 search results, according to the Websense 2010 Threat Report published Tuesday. That's in comparison to 13.7% of Google searches having that outcome in the latter half of 2009, says Patrik Runald, Websense senior manager of security research."

1 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. Malware/Spyware isn't the only problem... by drunkennewfiemidget · · Score: 5, Interesting

    At least in my case, I've found that google's search results have gotten progressively more useless over the last 2-3 years.

    I search for a linux issue I'm having, the only hits I get are ubuntu users in 2004.

    I search for applications for my wife's phone, it's almost 100% adware sites, and 0% useful download links.

    My google search usage is going down steadily. If I want to know about a company/famous person/whatever, it's en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.

    Info on movies, actors, etc? imdb.

    Looking for directions? Mapquest. Google maps has gotten me lost on countless occasions. (By doing such things as telling me to get off a highway by crossing the meridian, and exiting on the onramp for the opposite direction.)

    I don't know whether it's just me, google has thinned out the effort going into their searches in favour of their (many) other endeavours, or if they're just not evolving as fast as the assholes who want to try and monetize my searches for completely unrelated shit.