Russian Cybergangs Make the Web a Dangerous Place

Russian cybergangs have established a robust system for promoting Web sites that sell fake antivirus software, pharmaceuticals and counterfeit luxury products, according to a new report from security vendor Sophos.

One way to do so is to infect computers with malware either through spam or other means. The malware can tamper with a computer's DNS (Domain Name Server) settings in order to direct the user to a fake Google search engine site, which meshes real search results with ones that lead to, for example, a site selling fake antivirus software.



Another trick is called black hat SEO (search engine optimization). It involves creating a Web site, then using a variety of tricks mostly forbidden by search engines to get those Web sites high in search rankings. Methods include incorporating the most recently used search terms, often listed by search engines such as Google's Trends, into a Web site.

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