Computer users have been searching “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” after falling victim to an unusual cyber attack, the New York Post reported. Cybersecurity firm SOPHOS issued an urgent alert on its website, warning people against entering this specific phrase into search engines. Reports indicate that those who search this question and click on certain links at the top of the results risk having their data stolen.
“Victims are often lured into clicking on malicious adware or links disguised as legitimate content, or in this case, a standard Google search,” explained SOPHOS in a release.
Currently, the dangerous links only appear when the term “Australia” is included, putting Australian users at the highest risk. After clicking one of these seemingly legitimate search results, users may have personal information, like bank details, stolen through a program called Gootloader, which can also lock them out of their computers.
While searching about Bengal cats may seem harmless, SOPHOS notes that this makes the hacking risk even more alarming, as it shows that even innocuous search terms can lead to data theft.
The company warns that cybercriminals are increasingly using a tactic known as “SEO poisoning,” manipulating search engine results to elevate their malicious websites. The Daily Mail describes this as an “insidious technique” where criminals optimize their websites to appear prominently in search results.
SOPHOS advises anyone who suspects they may have fallen victim to this tactic to change their passwords immediately.