Introduction

There is an important warning for those who use the internet a lot and search for information on sites like Google. UK-based cyber security firm SOPHOS has warned that a new hacking tactic is at work targeting users who enter specific words into their computer’s search engine.

SOPHOS

Sophos Ltd. is a British security software and hardware company. SOPHOS has issued this warning against searching Google for six specific terms. Because doing so increases the risk of cyber-attacks. For example, “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” If you click on the first link that comes up when you search on Google, those users’ personal information is said to be leaked online.

“Victims are often lured into clicking on malicious hardware or fake links that look like legitimate marketing. But this time they are affected by the easy-to-trust Google search,” said SOPHOS.

The warning also suggests that hackers are targeting users who use the word “Australia” in Google searches, and that the country’s citizens are the most vulnerable to this cyber-attack.

GootLoader

A program called GootLoader steals the bank account information and personal information of customers who click on a link that appears to be the first thing that appears in a Google search. Also, this application could lock the user’s computer from being able to use it.

SEO poisoning

Although the word “Bengal cats” sounds special, the cyber security agency also said that users should not enter any malicious information that could expose them to these attacks.

Nowadays cybercriminals use a technique called “SEO poisoning” to manipulate Google searches. The practice is described as “an insidious technique by which criminals manipulate search engine results to make websites they control appear first.” Anyone affected by this is advised to immediately change their password and upgrade their security settings.

Hackers are said to steal people’s information using malware, software that is expressly designed to damage computers, networks and gadgets. These come in many forms, such as Trojan horses, bots, viruses, and methods that prevent users from accessing their computers unless they pay.