The total number of websites compromised by cybercriminals during 2016 was 32% higher than in the previous year, according a report: “Websites Fall Victim” issued by Google.
The tech leader added that this spiral of cyberattacks is unlikely to lose momentum anytime soon, as more websites become “outdated” and cyberattackers “more aggressive”. This is a fairly common trend as website owners typically do not factor in maintenance and ongoing updates into their website plans.
An area of weakness identified by Google has been the very slow uptake of webmasters verifying themselves on Google Search Console.
As a result, some 61% of webmasters that experienced a security incident never received the notification from Google that their website had been compromised which they would have received had they been registered with Google Search Console.
The company has subsequently urged sites to sign up to Search Console, adding that it is the main channel used to communicate health alerts for sites.
Additionally, Google says it has been listening to feedback from webmasters in order to “better understand how it can help”.