What is Search Engine Poisoning?
Search engine poisoning - also called SEO poisoning or search poisoning - is a deceptive technique employed by cybercriminals to manipulate search results by creating harmful websites.
These malicious sites are engineered to prominently appear in search results by using various tactics.
The attackers exploit commonly used search terms to associate their malicious content with popular topics and appear higher on search results.
The intention behind search engine poisoning is to divert the search engine rankings of legitimate websites to their own malicious sites.
As a result, users are diverted towards phishing and malware websites. Upon clicking on them, these fraudulent websites - resembling genuine sites - ultimately steal or hack the sensitive information of these users.