SEO

Pierluigi Paganini July 08, 2015
Sophos discovered new tricks to poison Google Search engine

Hackers are using a new search engine poisoning method to circumvent Google’s page ranking-algorithms, the technique relies on PDF documents. Researchers from Sophos discovered the new search poisoning method used to circumvent cloaking-detection mechanisms implemented by Google. The experts found hundreds of thousands of unique PDF documents per day implementing the poisoning technique. The term cloaking indicates the […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 01, 2014
15 million WordPress instances run flawed SEO plugin. Fix it!

Security researchers at Sucuri firm have discovered multiple serious vulnerabilities in the popular ‘All In One SEO Pack’ plugin for WordPress. WordPress in one of most targeted CMS platforms due its large diffusion, attackers are able to compromise victim instance exploiting flaws in outdated version or in vulnerable plugins . The Netcraft internet services company, in […]

Pierluigi Paganini April 02, 2014
How Coremex malware monetizes search engine Hijacking

F-Secure has identified a malware dubbed Coremex that takes advantage of plugin functionality provided by browsers to hijack search engine results. Search engine are a strategic component in the successful execution of any attacks, we saw in the past Black SEO campaigns conducted with the primary intent to provide results that help the attackers to […]

Pierluigi Paganini January 17, 2014
Black hat search-engine operation on hit hotel listing on Google

A Black hat search-engine operation on a large-scale has made possible the hijacking of thousands of hotel listing on Google Maps A Black hat search-engine operation on a large-scale has made possible the hijacking of thousands of hotel listing on Google Maps and Google+, users visiting victims accommodations were redirected to other booking sites. Hijacking […]

Pierluigi Paganini October 22, 2012
How much do you know on search engines? Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?

Article published on The Malta Indipendent on October 21th 2012 Ron Kelson, Pierluigi Paganini, Fabian Martin, David Pace, Benjamin Gittins Every day billions of people submit an unimaginable number of queries through Internet search engines.  These powerful instruments have profoundly changed the user’s perception of web content. Before  search engine popularity, “web portals”, like “DMOZ  Open […]