Google says that its Safe Browsing feature will be improved to protect users against deceptive download buttons.
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“Our fight against unwanted software and social engineering is still just beginning”, Google explains. And lastly, one of the most common tricks is an ad disguising as a download/play button for a streaming website.
According to Google, these deceptive buttons appear like they will produce some content when clicked or are related to the post of the site, and most importantly mimic the site’s look and feel.
Google has created a support page for webmasters that offers instructions on how to troubleshoot the issue and resolve it so that the “deceptive site ahead” warning notification is removed from the site.
In our recent article detailing sites that employ some of these practices, we highlighted those that mislead the user into thinking they need to update software (such as Flash or a media player) to play a video.
Webmasters whose site’s were flagged for containing social engineering content may start the troubleshooting by opening the security issues report on Google Webmaster Tools. Pages that pretend to be a trusted entity or trick users into doing something, like entering a password, will be considered as social engineering. With these Safe Browsing improvements, Google is working to ensure that you don’t have to inspect every site with a fine-tooth comb and instead browse without worry.
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Ballard cited several examples of such ads, including those that claim a third-party program is necessary to view content, but assert that the software is out of date.
