How Google Bombs Can Lead to Phishing Attempts

There have been some great Google Bombs over the years. These may be silly and get a good laugh out of most people, but unfortunately they’re not all fun and games. Many people will engage in phishing scams that catapult sketchy websites — that appear to be legitimate — to the top of Google search results. This is done to get you to click on them and log in or provide other information, which is then stored by individuals who use the information to steal from you and access your money or other accounts.

Google has often tried to prevent Google Bombs because they can lead users to end up on dangerous and harmful websites. You can take matters into your own hands, however, by activating DFNDR’s Safe Navigation feature. This feature actively blocks and warns you about phishing attempts and malicious sites. That way, even if you end up clicking on an illegitimate website, your information and money is still safe. Click here to activate Safe Navigation:

In case you’re wondering what a Google Bomb is, it’s when Internet users work to have certain content show up when others search for certain terms. This is done by users repeatedly searching for something with specific terms. If enough users do it, then the desired effect is achieved: The target content will come up at the top of Google’s search results when people search the specific terms.

It used to be a much bigger problem, but Google has worked to minimize the effects of these types of instances as much as possible. They did so for many reasons, with the primary reason being for the protection of everyone who uses Google. That way, users can stay safe as they use Google for searching.

The Best Google Bombs of All Time

Some humorous examples include the infamous ‘”Justin Bieber Syphilis” Google Bomb, “George Bush Miserable Failure,” and the “404 Error Not Found Weapons of Mass Destruction.” Justin Bieber never had syphilis, but that didn’t stop it from being reported on by numerous websites; this allowed the Google Bomb to get off the ground, and become a trending story online. Regardless of political views, it’s humorous that users were able to have a political figure come up when people searched for “Miserable Failure.” The same goes for when people searched for weapons of mass destruction and were greeted with a “404 Error Not Found” page online.