New Google Feature Identifies Malware-Infected Sites

For years, hackers have turned the Internet into a never-ending game of "malware roulette," with virtually any web site running the risk of being compromised. In an effort to make the online community a safer place for everyone, Google has integrated a new self-identification feature into its search engine to inform users when a website poses a threat.

Compromised Websites Weeded Out from Google Search

Google created the feature with the average Internet user in mind.

If the search engine detects that a website has been altered by a third party, it will display the following message: "This site may be compromised" under the search result listing. While the feature does not stop users from clicking on the link, doing so will elicit a "second chance" warning page in Google's help center, explaining that the site has been likely hacked or otherwise compromised. (Source: yahoo.com)

Google also announced plans to contact the webmaster of the corrupted website via Webmaster Tools and their known email address. The webmaster will then decide whether to take down the web page or make the necessary changes to the infected portions of the site.

Google Committed to Online Security

In a recent statement, Google pledged their commitment to online security by promising to continue using "a variety of automated tools to detect common signs of a hacked site as quickly as possible."

Google also made mention of a similar feature that has been offered to their users for several years, informing them when they are about to visit a corrupt website through a separate warning page.

Analysts believe that the move by Google may have been influenced by the recent hacking of Gawker Media, a popular online media company and blog network. Approximately 1.5 million accounts were compromised in the breach, which resulted in a series of similar attacks affecting Twitter and other websites. (Source: idg.no)