Google has been fighting against malware-infected sites for a long time with Google Safe Browsing. More recently however, Google has started alerting users of malware-infected PCs!
After noticing “unusual search traffic while performing routine maintenance on one of [their] data centers, engineers at Google worked with security researchers and concluded “that the computers exhibiting this behavior were infected with a particular strain of malicious software.” After making this discovery they decided to fight back by putting a notification on any Google search made from an infected PC.
Google’s Damian Menscher writes, “[w]e hope that by taking steps to notify users whose traffic is coming through these proxies, we can help them update their antivirus software and remove the infections.” Whether or not this will become a regular practice at Google for newer strains of malware is unknown. Technical limitations could also prevent Google from recognizing some forms of malware without requiring the user to install a plugin or use a web applet (which would be unconventional for traditional search). Only time will tell.
Click here to perform a Google search and ensure you’re not infected (Windows OS only, Mac/Linux users are not affected).
Get the full details at The Official Google Blog.
