For hackers, it's Matatabi.
A computer user searches Google to find out if it's legal to own a Bengal cat after finding himself the victim of a bizarre cyber attack.
Cyber security company SOPHOS An emergency warning was issued on the website.asking people not to type six words into search engines.
People searching Google for “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” have reportedly had their personal information stolen after clicking on a fraudulent link that appears near the top of the page.
“Victims are often lured into clicking on malicious adware or links disguised as legitimate marketing, in this case legitimate Google searches,” SOPHOS explained.
Currently, dangerous links only appear in search results if they include the word “Australia.” This means the region Down Under is at greatest risk of attack.
When a user clicks on a legitimate-looking search result, personal information, including bank account information, is stolen through a program called Gootloader.
According to SOPHOS, the program can also lock users out of their computers.
Although Bengal Cat's search terms seem relatively niche, the company argues that the threat of hacking becomes even more alarming because you don't have to search for something malicious to have your personal information stolen. I am doing it.
SOPHOS says cybercriminals are increasingly using a tactic known as “SEO poisoning” to compromise innocuous Google searches.
This practice is explained as follows: daily mail “Insidious ways criminals manipulate search engine results to move websites they control to the top of the page.”
SOPHOS urges anyone who believes they may be the victim of an SEO attack to change their password as soon as possible.
