You might have seen this warning in your results from a Google search, “Warning - the site you are about to visit may harm your computer!”. That warning means what it says in that the site has been flagged as being infected with badware programs that can cause problems for you as a web host and a visitor.
Through an online service that detects sites that have or are linked to malware, which can be passed on to a visitor who visits the site, Google provides warnings in their search results. What is badware or malware? Spyware, adware, bloatware, viruses, rootkits and keyloggers are some examples of badware/malware. Badware can cripple, slow down and crash a computer. Some of these types of malware can turn your computer into a zombie that works for somebody else and leaves you trying to use an overworked computer.
When a person searches for a site that has been designated as having badware on the site, the person will see a warning message in their search results and if they follow the link anyway, they will arrive at a page with a warning message on it. If the person cuts and pastes the address anyway, they will be able to visit the site with no further warnings. Google also sends its information about sites with badware to StopBadware.org who then posts the information on their website.
If your site has been flagged as containing badware, contact StopBadware (Google partner in this service) and request a site review. StopBadware will review your site, if you are lucky, your site will have been flagged without cause and StopBadware will inform Google, who usually will promptly remove the warning.
If Google has issued a warning about your site, it is because a testing process has determined that a warning is necessary. It is not possible for your site to be flagged as having badware on it if someone decides to report your site as dangerous. It is only after being tested that a warning is put in place.
If your site does have badware on it, you will have to take steps to remove the badware. In many cases, the site owner does not have any idea that the badware is on their site. Sometimes, the badware is located in the ads that may appear on the site or a link may send visitors to another infected site. Badware can also appear in a tiny entry that is not very noticeable to the site owner.
Most unsuspecting website owners who realize that their site is infected are usually glad for the opportunity to set things right. A problem is that there are so many ways that a site can become infected that there is no one cleaning solution for everybody. You will have to discuss with your web host why your site is vulnerable to hacking or if it is a problem with a third partner advertising network, you will have to work with them to resolve the problem.
If your site is infected and you are able to respond to the warning in a timely manner, you will be able to avoid the loss of traffic that such a warning can cause. The best thing to do is to frequently search for your site on Google so you can catch any problem before it gets too large.