‘Poisoning’ a search engine involves manipulating search engines so that they display content or search results which point a user to a malicious webpage or to a string of web pages containing malware. It involves the use of search engine optimization techniques to prioritize malicious websites and trick internet users into accessing them. Hackers usually look to exploit user preferences and trending topics to lure individuals into clicking links which, supposedly, offer more information on the topic of interest. Businesses in Ottawa can easily identify cases of search engine poisoning with the help of IT consulting companies. These companies also provide recommendations on how to prevent being your business network from being infected from such sites.
How Search Engine Poisoning is Achieved
There are three main ways in which SEP is accomplished within a website.
Website Hijacking
Hackers can achieve search engine poisoning by attacking a popular website which attracts huge traffic. Once they have hijacked the webpage, they can embed codes into the URLs within the web pages which redirect users to malicious web pages. In this form of SEP, hackers target web pages which offer services that are utilized by companies or businesses for convenience. For businesses located in Ottawa, network support companies can help them distinguish fishy links from legitimate ones. This would help them to ward off malware ploys.
Sponsored Links
Hackers are aware that users tend to trust links which are sponsored by trusted sites such as Google. The other advantage for hackers is that sponsored links tend to be highly ranked and prioritized in internet searches. As a result, hackers may manipulate these links so that they point to a malicious webpage once they are clicked on. This may lead to malware infecting a network or computer system.
HTML injection
HTML injection involves the addition of unwanted HTML tags into the build of vulnerable web applications using available parameter values. Once a hacker has managed to input HTML tags into the webpage, they can utilize these tags to add unwanted content, such as search engine poisoning code, and embed them within the site links. Businesses can prevent HTML injection attacks from their web applications by employing network support services from IT companies in Ottawa.
Effects of Search Engine Poisoning
SEP attacks pose a great danger to a business. They can lead to the loss of customers, damage to brands and the loss of potential clients. They can also leave business networks crippled and vulnerable to many other external attacks. Through the help of credible IT consulting companies, businesses in Ottawa can successfully implement methods of preventing these attacks. This will greatly help to secure their networks.