LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Security experts at Cashfloat.co.uk discovered a major SEO blackhat attack aiming to disrupt the reputation and online ranking of major lenders in the UK. The threat has been neutralized for now.
Western Circle Ltd (WCL), a London-based lending company trading as Cashfloat.co.uk, has released a lesson learned statement and evidence about a distributed cyber attack aiming to destroy the online ranking and reputation of major lenders in the UK. The attack arose from a seized payday loan website in the USA and has clear footprints of professional hackers groups outside of the USA. The attack was identified by Cashfloat.co.uk security experts during a routine system check-up.
The attackers compromised a payday lender website in the USA and used it as a dynamic content hub to automatically generate thousands of pages with stolen and reintegrated pieces of content from legitimate websites. Additionally, the security experts at Cashfloat identified the cloaking script used on the compromised site was getting commands from a master server hosted on a remote server.
"SEO Blackhat attacks are becoming stronger than traditional hacking activities. The potential financial damage these attacks can create is enormous and they can even completely shut down businesses that depend on online client acquisition and reputation. These attacks were designed by some pretty smart fellows offering their services to take down competitors’ websites. The fingerprints of this attack reveal a high level of sophistication. We are working now to identify those that have order such an attack on Cashfloat online reputation” says Ofer Valencio Akerman, SEO master and former cybercrime investigator.
“It is only to be expected that some players in this very competitive market chose to search for shortcuts and employ shoddy techniques but by no means should it become the mode of operation in this market. It is advisable for all lenders in the UK to ensure they are not falling victim for similar attacks“ Mr Akerman argues.
Cashfloat.co.uk continues to promote transparent and fair competition.
About Western Circle Ltd:
Western Circle Limited is a technology and intelligence-oriented lending company. The company develops and integrates technologies to enable affordable loans online under the new FCA regulations. These technologies include underwriting expert systems, online loan intelligence analytics and proactive compliance management systems. Western Circle Ltd aims to reinvent the science of affordable online loans, and make this helpful and responsible financial instrument accessible to all clients across the UK.
