Can Google Be Trusted With SEO Anymore? The Mac Malware Case Study

#security #seo

Google built its empire on one promise: connect people with the information they need. But what happens when that promise becomes a liability? When the world’s most trusted search engine consistently serves malware as its top result, we need to ask an uncomfortable question: Can Google be trusted with SEO?

So lets start with an example here:

From this you can see the top result that comes when you type in the following. We can clearly see that this is a variant of AMOS (Atomic macOS Stealer).

What can AMOS do ?
Well AMOS has the capability to exfiltrate:

All saved passwords from browsers and Keychain
Cryptocurrency wallet credentials
Banking information
Session cookies (giving attackers direct access to your accounts)
Files from your Desktop and Documents folders
Now , Why does this work so well ?

Firstly , It’s on top of your google search. Must be the most legitimate one right ?

Secondly ,have a look at the domain similar to that of medium. Another run showed an article on dev.to , where most of the software engineering talks happen. So can trick you thinking into it’s legitimacy

Thirdly, the article appears as a helpful content.

And finally a myth that has been followed by many, I have a Mac , it’s unlikely to be vulnerable to viruses like the other OS devices (Well this can haunt you)
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What to be on the lookout for ?**

So now in the world where sophisticated attacks are growing day by day , let’s be careful of few checks:

Don’t depend on sponsored result for system related issues? The one that paid for gets to be there and the until a check is perfomed or the result has been labeled malicious , it might be too late.

Secondly look at the domain properly, the domain name can be confusing

Now , sometimes the title give away, does it show urgency ? If yes, likely to be an attempt of malware

If somehow someone does fall into this trap, what to do ?

Disconnect from internet immediately
Don’t enter any passwords or financial information
Change all passwords from a different, clean device
Enable 2FA on all critical accounts
Monitor your accounts for unusual activity
Consider professional help: Apple Support or a cybersecurity specialist This attack represents a disturbing trend: malvertising (malicious advertising) is becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. Google is playing whack-a-mole with these ads, but new ones appear daily. So it’s upto each one of us to be aware. The Time Google does act on this might be too little too late.

While many of us might see the technical side of it , I guess awareness regarding this is equally important

What can be done before ?
Well we all know the saying of prevention is better than cure, lets start with some action item :