New information about the cyber warfare weapon Stuxnet has piqued the interest of many internet users. Hackers have taken note of this and are using the heightened interest in the Stuxnet virus to infect users with their own malware.
Cybercriminals push their malicious website to the top of search engines using a technique known as black-hat SEO. Then, unknowing computer victims visit their sites thinking they are clicking on a news article (about Stuxnet, in this particular instance).
"Some of the search strings used in this black-hat SEO campaign include 'stuxnet SCADA,' 'stuxnet removal tool,' 'stuxnet cleanup,' 'stuxnet siemens' and 'stuxnet worm,' among others," noted Bernadette Irinco of Trend Micro on the company's blog.
Users who click these links will be infected with a variety of malware, including rogue antivirus software or malicious pop-up programs.
Search engines are commonly used to proliferate malware because, according to comScore, more than 16 billion queries are conducted each month. Experts advise that consumers keep their antivirus software up to date to prevent infections from occurring.
