Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 5:10 PM
This post is for anyone who has been emailed or notified by Google about badware, received a badware warning when browsing their own site using Firefox, or has come across malware-labeled search results for their own site(s). As you know, these warnings are produced by our automated scanning systems, which we've put in place to ensure the quality of our results by protecting our users. Whatever the case, if you are dealing with badware, here are a few recommendations that can help you out.
1. If you have badware, it usually means that your web server, your website, or a database used by your website has been compromised. We have a nifty post on how to handle being hacked. Be very careful when inspecting for malware on your site so as to avoid exposing your computer to infection.
2. Once everything is clear and dandy, you can follow the steps in our post about malware reviews via Webmaster Tools. Please note the screen shot on the previous post is outdated, and the new malware review form is on the Overview page and looks like this:
- Other programs, such as Firefox, also use our badware data and may not recognize the change immediately due to their caching of the data. So even if the badware label in search is removed, it may take some time for that to be visible in such programs.
3. Lastly, if you believe that your rankings were somehow affected by the malware, such as compromised content that violated our Webmaster Guidelines [i.e. hacked pages with hidden pharmacy text links], you should fill out a reconsideration request. To clarify, reconsideration requests are usually used for when you notice issues stemming from violations of our Webmaster Guidelines and are separate from malware requests.
If you have additional questions, please review our documentation or post to the discussion group with the URL of your site. We hope you find this updated feature in Webmaster Tools useful in discovering and fixing any malware-related problems.
36 comments:
This is great information.
I once had a site that was hacked, and someone inserted a download that would have been considered "badware". I actually just deleted the site, as it was defunct anyway, but this information will come in quite handy for both myself and for clients I work for.
DESPERATELY need Google attention. I'm webmaster of a domain that was hacked. Cleaned all and Google Webmaster Tools review found it OK. Two days later another attack and got same block from Google, just this time no link to review appears on Google Webmaster Tools leaving me w/o options to ask for review!!! Any suggestions?
Hi Gabriel, I suggest you start a thread in the Webmaster Help groups at http://groups.google.com/group/Google_Webmaster_Help/topics?start= & mention your site's URL there. The users there will generally be able to help you either find the remaining badware or give you advice as to how you could continue.
Who knws maybe this will reach someone.
I would like to suggest you add as an option a longitude & latitude grid to "maps."
We had this problem with a new website shortly after launch. The badware scan highlighted the pages concerned, and made it straight forward to remove the code causing the problem.
The verification request was straight forward and relatively fast.
Re-inforced my belief in Google, and yet another excellent feature.
How I can access this badware google database like firefox does? Is there any webservice for it?
Thanks.
thank you for your insight that is very helpful. I love using the webmaster program to help my website. thanks
jay
Restaurants Open on Christmas
We were notified that our site didn't meet the guidelines and would be removed from the index.
It turns out one of our includes had been hacked and code had been inserted. We immediately fixed the problem and submitted a reconsideration request but, according to the response email, it can take WEEKS to review the request!
We are a political blog and we are losing tons of traffic right now because google has removed all of our content from the index.
In a couple of weeks, the election will be over. We need to get this fixed now.
Is there any way to speed up this process?
Our site was hacked, and we got the malware notification from Google. We fixed the site, and have been hack-free for two weeks. I went into Google's Webmaster Tools, but I don't see the warning or the Request Review link in the Overview section.
Would Google already have reviewed the site and removed the warnings, or is there some place else that I need to go?
Following up on my previous comment... Google added our site back to the index.
Believe me, I am thankful for that.
However this experience had really opened my eyes to the power Google holds over so many people.
This process really needs to be more transparent.
We got hacked and removed the badware. I submitted for a review and it did come back finally saying it was clean, but we're still listed as possibly harmful 3 days later. How do I speed up the process of removing that tag from the search results? 3 days seems a little ridiculous.
I think your process still leaves room for improvement as most of the sites likely to be flagged are innocent. Surely it would make more sense to temporarily REMOVE suspicious websites and allow investigation of any possible issues behind closed doors? I can understand what you are trying to do, but you are causing damage to innocent businesses.
You flagged my site a week ago, yet two investigations by Google, one by stopbadware.org, one by my hosting company and two by myself all came to the same conclusion - my site is clean.
The messages on the diagnostic page and in web master tools also confirmed this, and worryingly - the diagnostic page shows NO INFORMATION and NO EVIDENCE to support the view there was ever anything wrong with my site.
The web master tools message stated nearly a week ago that the warnings were being removed, yet they are still in place today.
I have lost at least two clients over this false positive and rather than congratulating yourselves (Google are very good at that), maybe you should work harder to ensure innocent people are not ruined by your well intended but badly thought out processes.
P.s. It says a lot for Google when a comment on this very blog which is quite clearly spam (with links to god only knows what) is still in place five days after it was posted. I am sure anyone with even a nominal IQ could spot it. Boosts confidence in Google? Hell no.
Well I'm still waiting for Google to unlock my site - one week after they told me what I already knew - that it was clean.
The following has been on my webmaster dashboard for a week now:
"Status of the latest badware review for this site: A review for this site has finished. The site was found clean. The badware warnings from web search are being removed. Please note that it can take some time for this change to propagate."
Once again I have to ask, how long is some time?
The Google diagnostic pages gave me no information whatsoever - the issue counts were all zero! Google have ignored every attempt I have made to request information and support. I am now considering legal action.
Sorry Google, but your service sucks.
You can speed up the process if you have AdWords running and give a call to your AdWords rep. The problem was solved in less then 2 hours.
I am designing a software that will scan my site daily for badware.
Bob, Care to share your scanning secrets? Thanks, Mike
My site http://sarkari-naukri.blogspot.com has been flaged as Malware. Google shows that only one page is infacting but it has not notieid which one. I have more than 4000 paged in my site and how can I narrow donw to the infacted page. I am sure my site is clean as it runs on blogger site only.
I have requrested for review it again but two days have passed and nothing has happend. I am llosing visitors ans reputation. Google should have informed me so that I could have taken action.
Anyone whao has bloger site and had been effected by same Malware flag, Please help me to remove the badwares.
Regards,
Manisha
New Delhi India
http://sarkari-naukri.blogspot.com
So my site was hacked. I removed all the badware and requested a review. I even ran link scanner on my site and it says it's not finding any bad code (http://linkscanner.explabs.com/linkscanner/default.aspx).
But Google says my site is still an attacke site and won't rejects my reviews.
What else can I do at this point?
If google wants it users to feel safe while browsing maybe google can tell the exact file and location where the malware is loaded so that it becomes easy for us to clean it, it is extremely irritating and a huge loss of business and face because of google marking it harmful without having a way of helping in resolution apart from reviews which are a waste
If I don't have a google account I have to create one, add my site to webmasters tools, wait for google to index my site, then wait for the Request a review link to show. This can take easily a week. A week loosing business, getting calls from angry customers that do not understand what's going on, etc.
Firefox has also jumped into the "save the world from evilware at any cost" wagon, using the same google detection.
Wrong way of doing things. They should allow me to request the review without the need to have a google account or add my site to the webmasters tools.
How I can access this badware googledatabase like firefox does? Is there any webservice for it?
Can someone please tell me how long it takes for Google to review your site after you've removed the malware. Our address is www.sohoboutique.ie and we would like the warning screen removed asap. Thanks
This is what I appreciate about Google, some people treat them like they are out to take you for a ride where as Google actually helps people. Thanks google Bummarketing
In the past couple weeks there has been a huge increase in compromised websites. Undoubtedly requiring Google to invest many more man hours reviewing them for re-inclusion in SERPs. Simply put, they are backlogged.
As a freelance programmer/security consultant, I wish there was more I could do to assist my clients getting the malware flag removed, while letting them focus on their business..
The reality is, I can do nothing after removing malicious code from their sites except tell them to fill out the form to be re-evaluated and wait. Frustrating for all parties involved, including Google's staff I'm sure.
I got a notification, I removed the offending files, I've followed the links provided to Google to remove the notification, the system is now telling me to add/ verify my website within Google, which wouldn't be a problem if the blasted notification page was not blocking the verification process.
So, until I get the site verified, I cannot submit a request to have the notice removed, and until I have the notice removed, I cannot get the site verified. Somewhat ridiculous, right? Now what do I do?
Anybody?
hy
how many time google puts to reconsider a site?
because I have sent a request 15 days ago and always nothing whereas my site is clean...
It need to be reconsider quickly because it opens in 2 days.. any suggestion?
ps: sorry if I've make a mistake, I dnt speak english very well ;)
I received notice that my site was hacked. Within two hours, my entire site was cleaned, and a review requested. It has now been over a week, and not even an acknowledgment of my request, let alone an ETA as to when the notice will be cleared.
I would suggest that a site be cleared for access as soon as a review is requested, and a notice sent immediately to the person submitting the request for review with an estimate as to when we can expect a "clean bill of health" from the almighty Google.
Recently Google reported www.barnesrealestateco.com as an “attack site”
with stopbadware.org. The report claims that a link to www.×0c.ru was the
cause for the “blacklisting.” (This was an iFrame exploit I believe.)
The website has been wiped clean and uploaded again from a malware-free
backup. All the passwords for accessing/administering the site have been
changed, and our hosts at Nuvox.net have assured us that the server
software is updated and secure.
I attempted to use the automated process for having the site
“reconsidered” using the Google Webmaster Tools, but this requires that
site ownership be Verified first. I inserted the Meta-tag into the main
page as instructed, and also tried the HTML file Verification method, but
both failed. I assume the reason for the failures is that the site is
blacklisted with stopbadware.org and so when Google’s bot tries to verify
it, it instead gets the “attack site” warning and not our main page with
the verification tag.
This is a catch-22. I can’t submit the site for reconsideration because
it needs to be verified and I can’t verify it because it’s blocked by the
warning!
We need to take whatever steps are necessary as soon as possible to get
our web site off the “blacklist.” This is destroying our business and our
web credibility. Please contact me immediately by email or reply here so that
we may resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Thank you.
fixthatcomptuer@gmail.com
patrick@realtyworld-barnes.com
Update: I phoned Google for help and the rude woman who answered told me that I would have to get on-line and follow the instructions there. When I told her that the on-line instructions led to a “catch-22” (to get it off the blacklist, it has to be reconsidered, to be reconsidered it has to be verified, to be verified it can’t be on the blacklist) she told me to post a forum message and “maybe someone can offer you a solution.”
The bottom line here is, Google is destroying the business and will do nothing about it. The next step for us is contacting our Lawyers and filing or joining a class-action lawsuit against Google and stopbadware.org
Please help and explain how we can get the site verified/reconsidered when
I have a new Start-up, I did everything google asked for. I am dissapponted with google as I still waiting to clear the warning.
Ashwin M Pai
Phone: 609-423-4994
W: www.ROICEngineering.com
I've noticed that whatever .html file google puts on the page is what prevents you from seeing your site...delete this file and your site will magically reappear. Google you should be ashamed of yourself for this tactic. Go after the hackers and prosecute them...don't make the innocent web designers and businesses owners suffer!
Hi Oliver
Please help out, my small business has been drastically affected by this problem for the last 2 weeks and I am so desperate to get this fixed.
www dot gorgeousgetaways dot com
I have removed some bad links on our home.htm page and deleted 2 suspicious PDFs which I hope will solve the problem.
How can I increase the urgency to get our website reviewed and relisted minus the blacklist??
This is really affecting our business, please help
Thanks
Hi everyone,
Since some time has passed since we published this post, we're closing the comments to help us focus on the work ahead. If you still have a question or comment you'd like to discuss, free to visit and/or post your topic in our Webmaster Help Forum.
Thanks and take care,
The Webmaster Central Team
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