Spammer breaks into AOL search engine

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
Search engines beware: Web spammers are becoming more sophisticated. The latest case occurred on Wednesday when America Online's AOL Search and its technology partner Inktomi began displaying thousands of search results that linked to a Web site based in Russia. Web spamming, a term used to describe how sites trump legitimate search results with their own pages, has been going on since the birth of search engines. But this time, Web spammers have found a savvier technique. Spammers copy a Web page and embed metatags into its source code with instructions for a search engine's robots to revisit the duplicate every day but withhold from caching it. The result is effective: false Web pages disguised as legitimate sites appear high in a search engine's rankings. "This is one way of spamming an engine," according to an Internet consultant who discovered his site was mirrored but did not want his name used. "It's actually brilliant." AOL and Inktomi pulled the bogus results linking to the Russian site on Wednesday and downplayed the attack, saying the number of results was miniscule compare to the billions of results served every day to Web users. "This minor incident only affected a comparatively very small number of available Web sites off of AOL and on the Internet," AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said. Beyond its immediate affect, the attack represents the next step in an evolution of the Web's greatest nuisance: spam. Internet users are all too familiar with junk email, incessant unsolicited marketing pitches that flood people's inboxes. In the same way, Web spam has become a tremendous headache for search engines that are constantly trying to provide people with the most relevant and unbiased results. The battle has led to an arms race between spammers and search engines. Several commercial software products have been developed to give sites the tools to boost their placement on search engines, such as FirstPlace Software's WebPosition Gold. Well-known techniques include link spamming, in which hundreds or thousands of bogus sites are created that all point to the same page. Such efforts can fool search algorithms that count links as a measure of a site's relevance. Spammers may also use so-called automated queries to constantly check the status of their sites and test changes aimed at driving them up the rankings. In a sign that the problem is growing, Google in April shut down some 100 Comcast customers, citing violations of terms of service banning automated queries on its database. "The spammers out there are constantly trying to get into search engines," said Vishal Makhijani, general manager for Inktomi's Web search. "Cottage industries have been built to help content providers to try to draw you to their sites."
See the Net Crime News Section for the latest on fraud, crime, child protection and related issues. Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Go to the Security forum. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

apexwm

Bill Goodrich : Just as al_langevin pointed out, with Windows Server 2008 there is no Services for Macintosh anymore. It's gone, not available....

6 hours ago by apexwm on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
txtrainguy

Replying to an old topic that I'm currently facing with my CEO (who is on a Mac). Our servers are primarily Windows Servers, office is about...

12 hours ago by txtrainguy on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
k0tcs3

Sure, that makes perfect sense. Pay wrong-doers money and thank them for breaching your security and pointing out your flaws, that would surely...

13 hours ago by k0tcs3 on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack
Random_Error

I think he's referring specifically to Android apps, as Apple do regulate their App Store, but Google seem to let any old crap onto the Android store!

13 hours ago by Random_Error on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store
Paul Fezziwig

Keep the crap apps out?! How will they compete with Android and Apple's claim to fame of having so many life changing apps? I wonder if the media...

18 hours ago by Paul Fezziwig via Facebook on RIM: BlackBerry will keep 'garbage' apps out of store
Aigars Mahinovs

It has been shown time after time that if there is an author store that sells the songs at even 1$ per song and gives you a high-quality digital...

19 hours ago by Aigars Mahinovs via Facebook on Copyright isn't working, says European Commission
awbMaven

""As a result of Butyka's alleged conduct, researchers were unable to use the computers for more than two months while NASA removed the malicious...

21 hours ago by awbMaven on US indicts Romanian over NASA climate change hack
subhorup

It simultaneously worries me and uplifts me that a self-proclaimed group of internet activists name themselves after Indian mythical figures....

1 day ago by subhorup on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
naviathan

It's actually far easier to work anonymously on the internet than you think. With tools like Tor bouncing your traffic around the world before...

1 day ago by naviathan on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
Agnostic_OS

1000272134 and bluedalmatian with you both there but then I'm still in 10.04 land (and happy with it)

1 day ago by Agnostic_OS on Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit
apexwm

Interesting article and definitely see your points on the products mentioned. One of the top products for our Help Desk (approximately 20% of all...

2 days ago by apexwm on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
Paul Hutchinson

Absolutely - this should obviously not be handled my isp - but handled by their hosting operator. What's been suggested here is that my isp police...

2 days ago by Paul Hutchinson via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Techs UK

Looks like a great phone. I don't notice any deficiencies in WP7. used IOS before, that's pretty good. I don't spend much time in Apps, all i need...

2 days ago by Techs UK on Nokia pins US 're-entry' hopes on Lumia 900
Larry Bloggy

Now with the help of these apps you are always synced with MS outlook while on the move. Just download apps like xobni or outlookreflex and get...

2 days ago by Larry Bloggy via Facebook on Outlook Social Connector beta 2 and the LinkedIn connector
mike40g123

Your details are wrong. The version currently being made is the one with 2 USB ports, 256MB RAM and a network port. This is the Model B. The...

2 days ago by mike40g123 on Raspberry Pi boards set to go on sale
Moley

The thing that has been puzzling me for quite a while is how Anonymous can remain anonymous whilst not only being active on the Internet but also...

2 days ago by Moley on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
Don Dilly

If what Semantec is saying is rue, that is even worse and shows a complete disregard for thier users. If what Anonymous claims is true and the...

3 days ago by Don Dilly via Facebook on Anonymous activists release PCAnywhere source code
MattChurchy

Didn't seem particularly biased to me either. Oh though you might have mentioned some other competitors with free search and email services...

3 days ago by MattChurchy on Time for an evil umpire: Google, Microsoft & privacy
Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe

James - exactly as much as anyone paid you for your comment; I don't feel that I need to say that I'm independant and unbiased, but just for you...

3 days ago by Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe on Time for an evil umpire: Google, Microsoft & privacy
Carl White

Once they realise symantec are willing to pay real money, they will simply keep extorting, unless of course symantec/authorities can use the...

3 days ago by Carl White via Facebook on Symantec offered hackers $50k in source code sting