A new threat seems to be successful with victims of online phishing. According to a report by Netskope, a security service provider, downloads of malicious PDF files have increased significantly by 450% in the last 12 months.
And emails were not the main weapon for spreading malware. According to research, criminals spread viruses through SEO techniques.
What is SEO
For those who don’t know or don’t remember, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a digital practice that increases the visibility of websites in search engines like Google and Bing, increasing their position in search rankings. To rank well, you need to follow a number of techniques and guidelines, many of which, if not followed, pull the site down from the first pages of searches.
The term “phishing” is used to trick an online user into obtaining personal data such as passwords or confidential information, or to have them download a virus or malware onto their device when they click a link. malicious.
Although much more popular for sending malicious emails, “phishing” can be practiced in other ways, such as with this new method of cybercriminals, on sites that rank well in search engines.
How to avoid new scams
According to Netskope Threat Labs director Ray Canzanese, avoiding this type of phishing scam via malicious PDFs is not easy. This is because it is sufficient to verify the sender address when it involves the use of email messages. When it comes to suspicious links received on social networks, ignore it when it is not a trusted person.
Regarding search engines, the best way to protect against phishing attacks, properly optimized with SEO techniques, would be to implement a decryption solution to control web traffic through malicious content. In other words, certain technical knowledge is required.
Anyway, the tip is to be careful and avoid downloading from sites that don’t seem reliable. After all, a simple file can contain a major threat that can endanger your computer.
Source: Tec Mundo
