Computers can be hacked, smartphones can be jailbroken, and Internet of Things devices in a smart home are low-hanging fruit for remote attackers.
And it turns out that search engines are vulnerable as well due to algorithmic imperfections or zero-day exploits the providers are unaware of. Well-motivated, technically adept cybercriminals with plenty of time and the right tools on their hands can cheat these systems at will. In fact, this is what is happening incessantly in this area.
Google, the world's search heavyweight with cutting-edge technologies at its core, is in the same boat. The scourge of black-hat search engine optimization (SEO) dominates the ecosystem of methods used to manipulate the tech giant's search logic and pollute its results with dubious content.
These three incidents demonstrate how cybercriminals can get mileage out of the slightest opportunity to circumvent Google's countermeasures for foul play.
Harmful Apps Spreading Via Compromised SitesA classic technique to boost the search rankings of a malware-laden website is to fuel its online authority with strong backlinks obtained in an unethical way. As Google algorithms are becoming more sophisticated over time, it is getting harder for scammers to pull off this old-school trick. Instead of taking this route, some crooks abuse trusted websites that already rank high in search results.
A hoax of that kind was spotted in August. To set it in motion, fraudsters compromised a series of websites used by the US federal government, popular colleges, and international organizations.
The government-related resources hit by the threat actor ..
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