The bizarre hijacking of a simple phrase by hackers has created anxiety about what other search terms could be landmines.
Last week, it was revealed by Sophos that Australians typing in, “are Bengal cats legal in Australia” could be given malware through their search results in a trick referred to as SEO-poisoning. In other words, hackers are using websites specifically designed to lure unwitting internet users onto dodgy pages they control, that will download viruses onto your device if you go on them.
It’s bad news for Australians looking to buy a kitty, but the incident has also raised concerns there may be other dangerous phrases out there. Scammers buy adverts for search terms online which they believe people will regularly enter. The system works because people tend to assume that top links on Google search results are legitimate, and so are willing to click on them.
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According to TorGuard founder Ben Van Pelt as per Indy100, one common phrase to be careful around is “customer service number” as hackers commonly masquerade as tech support while another to avoid is “easy loans”. Both of these reflect an effort to exploit people who may already be in a tough spot or in a panic.
Mr Van Pelt also added that people could be at risk for phrases like: “Easy Loans”, “Quick Money Making Schemes” and “High-Paying Remote Jobs”.
The techniques are simple. People looking for “remote work interviews” may be asked to download something to carry out the call while “free credit reports” may ask people to enter their details directly, with the information then kept on record.
Another classic is “Google Authenticator,” which tries to replicate the actual product many people use to deliver two-factor authentication. Again, people are encouraged to download something, which is actually malware in disguise.
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Next up is “mental toughness” of which cyber security firm Menlo found 2,000 examples of compromised search terms. Really specific phrases like “Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire” were included. They link directly to PDF files, which can make them harder to spot.
Speaking to MailOnline, Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET said: “If anyone does download anything they should make sure they don’t click on the file in their downloads folder as this will execute the malware. It’s best to remove it and conduct a virus scan for peace of mind”.
One for the gents, the next no-no is “online Viagra,” with researchers claiming that thousands of websites have been hit by cyber-attacks. Hackers exploit easy-to-target WordPress websites and stuff them full of links to fake sites, which can lure people away and trick them into giving away their details.