Hacklink Marketplace Fuels Surge in Covert SEO Poisoning Attacks

Netcraft researchers uncovered Hacklink, a black-market SEO-poisoning platform that enables attackers to inject hidden JavaScript into thousands of compromised websites (including high-value .gov/.edu and country-code domains) to boost phishing and scam pages in search engine results; services such as Neon SEO Academy and SEOLink actively market bulk link injection and redirection tools targeting sectors like online gambling. The campaign is stealthy, reputationally damaging, and used to funnel users to phishing or malware pages; recommended defenses include auditing backlinks, patching vulnerabilities, and monitoring search presence via Google Search Console.