Page 34 - Cyber Warnings

Googles Cracking Down on Malware: What This Means for You

This past November, Google announced plans to tighten its regulations in regards to malicious
sites. Here’s why you should care.

In an announcement earlier in November, Google notified webmasters and users that it has
updated its safe browsing policies. Now, sites that repeatedly violate those policies will be given
a red mark, and labeled as repeat offenders. The reason, Google explained, is because there’s
a small camp of bad eggs that have basically ruined things for everyone.

“We’ve observed that a small number of websites will cease harming users for long enough to
have the warnings removed, and will then revert to harmful activity,” explained Brooke
Heinichen, a member of Google’s Safe Browsing Team. “As a result of this gap in user
protection, we have adjusted our policies to reduce risks borne by end-users. Starting today,
Safe Browsing will begin to classify these types of sites as Repeat Offenders.” “With regards to
Safe Browsing-related policies, Repeat Offenders are websites that repeatedly switch between
compliant and policy-violating behavior for the purpose of having a successful review and
having warnings removed,” they continue.

It’s important to note that hacked websites and sites that have been compromised by bad actors
won’t be subjected to this new policy. Only sites and webmasters that purposefully post harmful
content - and actively try to avoid Google’s malware flags - are going to fall under the umbrella
of “Repeat Offender.” In other words, it’s not the fact that a site is compromised that matters
here, but the intent of the site’s owner. That doesn’t mean webmasters have nothing to worry
about, mind you. If your site is repeatedly compromised by bad actors, and you do little to
mitigate that fact, you’re as likely to wind up on Google’s radar as someone who’s intentionally
malicious. As for the bad actors this move is intended to punish...they’ve spent decades finding
ways to skirt the rules. They’ll find a way to work around this restriction, as well.

“It’s very easy to work around restrictions like this by launching new sites, and hostile players
will likely game the system, “ security analyst Rob Enderle told Tech News World. “Until [Google]
can actually prosecute the bad players, moves like this are just Band-Aids and don't approach
mitigating the actual problem.” At the end of the day, Google’s update to its safe browsing
policies is a step in the right direction - but it’s not going to change much in the long run. For
your part, you just need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to protect your site from
bad actors. Because if you don’t, and you end up getting flagged?

About the Author

Rachel is the technical writer for WiredTree, a leader in fully managed
dedicated and vps hosting. Follow Rachel and WiredTree on Twitter
@wiredtree and check out more of their articles on their web hosting blog,
http://www.wiredtree.com/blog.

34 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine December 2016 Edition
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