New Worm “Changes” Google SERPs

search-engines-web.com writes “Why are we no longer #1 for….?”

Maybe we’re infected? Virus writers have developed a worm that spoofs the behaviour of internet search engine Google, varying the results displayed to suit the requirements of hackers. P2Load-A modifies the HOSTS file on infected PCs by replacing the original with a file downloaded from a remote website under the control of hackers. When users run a search, the results are normally shown correctly – but sponsored links are different. For some searches, other links appear which have been specified by the creator of this malware, resulting in increased traffic to these websites.

The changes in behaviour happen because users are not getting their results from Google but from a hacker-controlled website based in Germany.”