Cybersecurity researchers at Zscaler ThreatLabz have uncovered a concerning trend in which cybercriminals are exploiting popular web hosting and blogging platforms to disseminate malware and steal sensitive data. This sophisticated tactic, known as SEO poisoning within the realm of Black Hat SEO techniques, has been employed to manipulate search engine results, pushing fraudulent websites to the forefront of users’ search queries, thereby increasing the risk of unwittingly accessing malicious content.
How They Operate
The cybercriminals orchestrating these operations have devised intricate strategies to evade detection and entice unsuspecting users into downloading malware. They fabricate fraudulent websites spanning a wide array of topics, ranging from pirated software to culinary recipes, often hosted on well-established platforms such as Weebly. By adopting the guise of legitimate sites, complete with endorsements like “Powered by Weebly,” they exploit users’ trust in reputable services to perpetrate their malicious activities.
The process commences with cybercriminals setting up sham sites on web hosting services, adeptly avoiding detection by both hosting providers and users. When individuals search for relevant content and click on links from search results, they unknowingly find themselves on these malevolent sites. To circumvent scrutiny from security researchers, the perpetrators implement evasion techniques, including scrutinising referral URLs. Should a user access
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