Google Rolls Out New Notification Service, Tells Searchers if a Website Has Been Compromised

Google has for several years provided notices on its search results to indicate if malware may be present on a website. When Google’s search engine finds a website that may contain malicious software, it provides a notice along with the search results, which reads “This site may harm your computer.” The warning is a benefit both to the visitor, who can then choose to avoid the site, and to the webmaster as well, who may be alerted to a third party hack as a result.

Expanding on that process is a new notification system that Google just announced yesterday. The new notification adds a warning to search results to indicate if a site has been compromised or altered by a third party. Spammers often attempt to alter legitimate websites to insert their own messages.

When a visitor comes across a search result that Google has flagged in such a way, they will get a notice that says “This site may be compromised.” As with the earlier malware warning, the new warning does let visitors proceed at their own risk, and clicking on the link will still bring you to the website. Clicking on the “This site may be compromised” link calls up a relevant article that explains the notice in more detail.

Built into Google’s spider are a set of automated tools that will flag a site if one of several common indicators of a hacked site are present. Once flagged, Google will also attempt to contact the webmaster via their Webmaster Tools account, or through an email address listed on the webpage.

The service will also be of benefit to webmasters, who will get an immediate tipoff from Google if a third party is abusing their site.

Links

• Google Webmaster Tools