SlowMist flags rising fake Codex and Claude Code search poisoning cases

Cos said on X that black-hat actors are abusing Google search results and Google Sites, and that repeated warnings about the tactics have not led to action.

Summary

Search engine poisoning incidents tied to fake Codex and Claude Code listings have become more frequent, according to SlowMist’s Cos. In a post on X, he said black-hat actors are abusing Google search results and Google Sites to surface fraudulent pages, reviving a common tactic in which attackers manipulate rankings to lure users toward malicious links or downloads. Cos added that he had repeatedly warned about the abuse but said Google had not addressed what he described as obvious poisoning methods.

Terms & Concepts
  • search engine poisoning: Manipulating search rankings to push malicious links
  • black-hat actors: Attackers using deceptive or illegal tactics
  • Google Sites: Google website-building service used for hosted pages