Blackhat SEO Techniques may cause Vulnerability to Data Security Breaches

In light of the high profile hacking incidents during this year, internet security and fraud has been brought back into the center headlines. After reaching record breaking levels in 2008, the number of internet security breaches was declining steadily until the end of 2010. In remarked contrast, 2011 has seen an unexpected resurgence in illegal cyber activity. New hacker groups, spearheading large-scale infiltration campaigns, are now compromising millions of users' credit card data and personal information. The surplus of stolen credit card information decreases the legitimacy of purchasable online services, including do-it-yourself SEO packages, which endanger websites and their visitors.

The global scale of such campaigns is staggering and needs to be addressed. Hacker mastermind Albert Gonzalez is a perfect example of the problems posed by security weaknesses. His successful engineering of stealing millions of credit card numbers resulted in an exorbitant amount of fraudulent transactions and costs. These events have removed the illusion of safety, reminding internet users of the true fragility of web security.

It does not take a large talented hacker group to infect a website and harm its visitors. Some methods are alarmingly simple, and are easily executed by even the most novice hackers. The most common example is the use of malware, which can either be forcefully installed or involuntarily installed by users through deceptive techniques. Malware is a type of software that infiltrates a network or computer that allows a hacker to remotely access sensitive information. A standard variant of malware called spyware allows hackers to monitor anything the infected computer is typing, including credit card information.

Legitimate websites with poor security systems can unknowingly be jeopardizing their customers' confidentiality and billing information. Companies need to protect themselves by investing in strong security services for data centers. Particular scams to watch out for online are often for SEO shortcuts that appear too good to be true. For example:

A mysterious figure offers listings on premium website directories at an unbelievably low price and insists on its legitimacy, supported by his good reputation in the community. The buyer gets the listings successfully, and assumes everything is in order. However, it soon appears that the listing has been removed with no explanation. Further investigation of the matter reveals that the directory listing seller is actually a hacker with access to stolen credit card numbers, who uses them to purchase legitimate listings at premium prices for his patrons. When the stolen credit card is eventually reported, the directory takes off the listing because their payment is no longer valid. The duped buyer loses the discounted fee that was paid for the listing, and the hacker reaps the benefits. Once exposed, the hacker only needs to change communities and offer the same service to a different audience.

To prevent this from happening, companies and individuals should gain search engine rankings the legitimate way through SEO hosting services. SEO hosting is a hassle-free way to propel a website to the top of the search engine results lists, thus generating significantly more traffic and hopefully sales. Otherwise, recent data security breaches have further contaminated purchasable black-hat SEO packages, making them riskier than ever.