How Does Google Detect Malware?
The Millions of people depend on Google services on a daily basis. From quick internet searches , to email services and efficiency tools, Google is an essential part of our lives. webroot.com/safe
It’s not surprising that hackers invest lots of energy and time trying to get into Google or find ways to take advantage of their services. This is the case with a new malware attack which is used to install malware onto innocent victims’ computer.
Tops the Google search results
The main goal of every web site owner is to make it to the top of the Google results for search results. The closer your website is at that top spot in the list more likely people will visit your site and purchase your products and services.
Its algorithmic algorithms by Google are so reliable that the first result is almost certain to give us what we’re looking for, so we typically click on the top page. We rarely second-guess ourselves before making a decision.
Infecting highly-performing websites
Hackers are making use of our search habits to attack our search habits. They have broken into highly performing websites to infect users who are not aware of malware that is called Gootloader.
After they have obtained login credentials for a highly performance website, criminals make a number of new pages. Each page is targeted at an exact search term that is similar to the kind of search term you enter into Google such as ‘does having an outdoor pool increase the value of my home does it add value to my home?’. These might not be popular terms for search engines however that’s why they appear at high on Google’s list of search results in such a short time.
Beware of the ZIP file download
If a user visits via Google the website provides the basics of their query. However, to get more information, they need to download the zip file. Helpfully, the zip file name is the same as their query (swimming_pool_house_value.zip), making it look even more convincing.
However, once the zip file has been opened and the file is opened, the Gootloader malware is able to infect the computer of the user. The severity of the damage is different depending on the virus, but it can encode files or take sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Protection against Gootloader
The best way to guard yourself from Gootloader attacks is to view Google results with a certain amount of suspicion. Simply because a site is ranked well does not mean that you are able to rely on it. Do you really have to download an archive file to answer the question?
A few extra minutes to consider the things you’re doing can help you avoid a lot of days or hours of issues caused by malware.
It is also recommended to be using a reliable antivirus tool installed that is able to identify and block malware in a timely manner. Webroot can scan zip files when they are downloaded, blocking any file that appears suspicious or dangerous. If you’re tricked into clicking on a fraudulent Google result, and then download the infected file, Webroot offers a final layer of security. www webroot com safe
