Hackers May Exploit the Protests Over the Anti-Islam YouTube Video to Spread Malware
By now you are abreast of the uproar and controversy in Cairo, Egypt and other areas, which are in complete dismay supposedly over a controversial anti-Islam 'Desert Warrior' film. The Internet is currently flooded with stories and different journalistic perspectives of trouble in the Middle East. From our standpoint, we suspect hackers have put their sights on exploiting this news by potentially poisoning Internet search results related to the anti-Islam film and the pandemonium it has allegedly caused in Middle-Eastern regions of the world.
We have reported on many occasions how hackers are apt to exploiting current news events, even if the subject matter is rather controversial. There is no doubt that the anti-Islam film controversy is a sensitive subject, especially considering how America has become a disavowed entity among protestors and those with a stern opposition of the 'Desert Warrior' anti-Islam film. If you perform an Internet search related to Cairo Egypt and the Anti-Islam film debacle, chances are you may find some suspicious results or ones that redirect you to sites laced with malware.
The practice of poisoning Internet search results with keywords related to popular news events has become a favorite pastime for hackers. These cybercrooks will essentially take keywords related to a popular news subject and flood Internet search results with their malicious sites through crafty SEO techniques. Just a few weeks ago, Prince Harry was at the brunt of malware campaigns spreading through poisoned Internet search results. Not long ago Prince Harry exposed his crown jewels to the world, Kristen Stewart was sparking inquisitive minds over her supposed affair allowing hackers to sink their teeth into related Internet search results. Poisoning search results off of the heals of popular news subject matter has become an epidemic.
When it comes to the anti-Islam or anti-Muslim film debacle, there are several Internet search keywords that you should be cautious of using because they may yield poisoned results. The following keywords are specifically related to the anti-Islam film controversy and should be searched with caution.
sam bacile
innocence of muslims
anti-islam film
anti-islam video
anti-islam movie
anti-islam protests
us embassy protests
us embassy yemen
us consulate chennai
us embassy egypt
us embassy libya
us embassy cairo
The chart below from Google Insights for Search shows recent search trends on some of the anti-islam video-related keywords listed above.
There may be other keywords that could trigger Internet search results, as part of a new malware campaign, which leads to malware or an aggressive phishing sites. The use of an updated antimalware tool is recommended to add an extra layer of protection in the unfortunate event that you click on a poisoned Internet search result that leads you to malware.