By Editor
The number of websites compromised by
cybercriminals during 2016 was 32% higher than the previous year, according to
Google.
The tech giant added that this spiral of
cyberattacks is unlikely to lose momentum anytime soon, as more websites become
“outdated” and cyberattackers “more aggressive”.
One area of weakness identified by Google has been
the slow uptake of webmasters verifying themselves on Search Console.
As a result, some 61% of webmasters that
experienced a security incident never received a notification from Google that
their website had been compromised.
The company has subsequently urged sites to sign up
to Search Console, adding that it is the main channel used to communicate
health alerts for sites.
Additionally, Google says it has been listening to
feedback from webmasters in order to “better understand how it can help”.
“One area of weakness
identified by Google has been the slow uptake of Search Console.”
The most popular request is for simpler documentation
about compromised sites.
As a result, Google has taken a new approach that
offers webmasters more information about when their site has been compromised,
as well as offering clean up guides that give advice on how to deal with
certain types of attacks.
One guide shows how to fix the Gibberish Hack, which automatically creates
numerous pages on webmasters’ sites, filled with keyword-enriched nonsense.
When people attempt to visit the site, they are
diverted to an unrelated page.
Meanwhile, there’s the Japanese Keywords Hack,
which creates new pages with Japanese text.
These pages are then monetized by way of links to
stores selling fake goods, and then shown in Google search.
The best way, however, of dealing with these
attacks, remains prevention. “As always it’s best to take a preventative
approach and secure your site rather than dealing with the aftermath,” says
Google.
Unfortunately, it still seems to be the case that
not enough people are heeding this advice.
The threat posed by cybercriminals was brought into
sharp focus again this week, after the Association of British Travel Agents
proved to be the latest victim of cybercrime, reporting it had suffered a severe data breach affecting
43,000 people.