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Scammers Used OpenAI to Flood the Web with SEO Spam - 404 Media
AkiraBot is a program that fills website comments sections and customer service chat bots with AI-generated spam messages. Its goal is simple: it wants you to sign up for an SEO scheme that costs about $30 a month. For that low price it swears it can enchant Google’s algorithms to get you on the frontpage. But it’s a scam.
A new report from researchers at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne documented how scammers deployed AkiraBot, the tool’s use of OpenAI generated messages, and how it avoided multiple CAPTCHA systems and network detection techniques. According to the report, the bot targeted 420,000 unique domains and successfully spammed 80,000.
Whoever runs AkirBot operates their SEO company under a bunch of different names, but they all tend to use the words “Akira” or “ServiceWrap.” SentinelOne says the tool finds websites crafted by third party software like Wix or Squarespace and spams comments sections and automated chatbots with a promise to get the site on the frontpage of various search engines. If you have a small business that exists on the web or have run a WordPress-based website in the last 15 years, you’ve likely seen messages like those AkiraBot crafts.
“My name is Megan, from The Akira Team—I just noticed your website through your Entireweb Website Listing, and wanted to get in touch with you right away,” a typical message reads, left in the comments of a candle company shop. “We have a special offer for your website today, and that is 1st Page Rankings in all major search engines (That’s Google, Yahoo and Bing) + social media and video commercial advertising starting at just $29.99 which I am ABSOLUTELY certain will benefit your website and business, by bringing you LOTS of new customers, very very quickly.”
A new report from researchers at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne documented how scammers deployed AkiraBot, the tool’s use of OpenAI generated messages, and how it avoided multiple CAPTCHA systems and network detection techniques. According to the report, the bot targeted 420,000 unique domains and successfully spammed 80,000.
Whoever runs AkirBot operates their SEO company under a bunch of different names, but they all tend to use the words “Akira” or “ServiceWrap.” SentinelOne says the tool finds websites crafted by third party software like Wix or Squarespace and spams comments sections and automated chatbots with a promise to get the site on the frontpage of various search engines. If you have a small business that exists on the web or have run a WordPress-based website in the last 15 years, you’ve likely seen messages like those AkiraBot crafts.
“My name is Megan, from The Akira Team—I just noticed your website through your Entireweb Website Listing, and wanted to get in touch with you right away,” a typical message reads, left in the comments of a candle company shop. “We have a special offer for your website today, and that is 1st Page Rankings in all major search engines (That’s Google, Yahoo and Bing) + social media and video commercial advertising starting at just $29.99 which I am ABSOLUTELY certain will benefit your website and business, by bringing you LOTS of new customers, very very quickly.”
https://www.404media.co/scammers-used-openai-to-flood-the-web-with-seo-spam/
