Blacklisted Websites – Google and Yandex Safe Browsing Databases
With an estimate of over 1 billion websites online today, the supply of compromised or poorly coded websites which can be manipulated into an attack vector for spreading malware or phishing attacks, seems endless.
A great example of this has been exploits found in common CMS tools like WordPress, which currently account for around 75 million websites around the world. If even a small percentage of those websites are running an outdated version of WordPress, you could easily build an army of drone sites to do your bidding.
Safe Browsing Databases
Being the number one search engine, Google had a clear view into the problem, and quickly realized that they were in a unique position to do something about it.
They already index the bulk of the websites in the world, so they can quickly know when a site becomes compromised, by looking for common malware and phishing signatures. This is exactly how your virus scanner works on your computer- the only difference is, Google started virus scanning the websites of the world.
They compiled all this information into a service they called “Google Safe Browsing“. Not long after, the Russian search giant Yandex built their own Safe Browsing database, using basically the same process as Google.
Today, Google Chrome and Firefox (the first and second most popular web browsers, respectively), both use this database to block and warn visitors from reaching websites that have been compromised.
That All Sounds Cool, But Why Do I Care?
Well it’s not that hard for a website to become compromised. Hackers all over the world are regularly scanning the Internet for compromised websites. All it takes is to forgot to update your WordPress or Drupal CMS, or install a poorly coded CMS plugin, and you can be opening your website up to attack.
If you end up in the database, it’s a pain in the ass- for one; it likely means a costly/lengthy rebuild of your website. But more importantly, it means that most people on the Internet (around 88% of web browsers), will be blocked by Chrome or Firefox, when they try to visit your website.
If you run a business off your website, then it directly affects your bottom line, and your reputation. And a lot of companies don’t realize they’ve listed, until several days or weeks after the fact.
How We Help
RBLTracker provides easy to use, Safe Browsing monitoring, for any website you want to monitor, using both the Google and Yandex Safe Browsing services.
We’ll alert you right away, if any of your websites become listed, and provide you with enough information to resolve your issues quickly, before it affects your business or reputation.
Find out more here, or signup to try RBLTracker for free!