Japanese Keyword Hack is a malware on your site that auto- generates Japanese texts into your website pages. This manipulates the appearance of the infected pages on the Google search results. The titles and descriptions are displayed with Japanese words.
This attack on a working website is known as “Japanese Keyword Hack”, “Japanese SEO Spam” or the “Japanese Symbol Spam”.
The purpose of hacking your website and replacing your keywords and pages with spammy ones is simple. Hackers want to promote websites that would not be allowed by Google Ads or search policies. And also to increase the rankings of other websites.
The Japanese Keyword Hack poses a great threat for your website users. The malware is capable of redirecting your website users to spam websites and risk their privacy. This can make them rate your brand of poor user experience.
Reasons for the Japanese keyword Hack:
- Your CMS version is not updated-
Outdated CMS version is most of the times the reason as to why your website got hacked. Though CMS developers regularly release security patches, they often go unnoticed.
- Your Directory Browsing is enabled-
It enables a hacker to get the details of your directory by simply searching it up. Then this data is used to execute the Japanese Keyword Hack. Therefore, make sure your directory browser is disabled.
- Third-party Plugins –
Make sure to check the plugin before installing it as not all of them are secure and updated. A plugin with bugs is just an invitation for Japanese Keyword Hack.
Diagnosis for The Japanese Keyword Hack:
- Deep scan your website
A fool-proof way to know if your website is hacked or not is by scanning it. Make sure you know how the scanner works and what it scans, the results vary with different scanners.
- Manual scanning
Manual scanning is the most ineffective way of scanning for malware. In many cases hackers have used clocking to disguise Japanese SEO Spam from site admin.
- Online scanning
An online scanner will not fail you for the purpose of scanning the malware. The drawback of using an online scanner is that it can only scan the frontend. Not the core WordPress files or the critical parts of the website where malware can often reside.
- Check the pages relates to your domain
Use the site:mysiteurl.com to get the list of results related to your domain. For a Japanese Keyword hack, use the site:mysite.comjapan. If there are pages that you haven’t made, it’s sure that there is an SEO spam.
- Number of search results
If the number of pages on your website has suddenly skyrocketed. From a few 40 you now have thousands of pages, that is a sign that your website is hacked.
A Japanese Keyword Hack adds multiple pages to your website.
- Use “fetch as Google” tool to check for cloaking
A ‘404 page not found’ will appear whenever you visit these hacked pages. This suggestion that the page is non-existent is a warning that the hacker is using the technique of clocking.
“Fetch as Google” tool in Google Search Console will help you check for clocking.
- Your web host will suspend your site
Web hosts often suspend websites because of malwares, spam content etc. Generally an email is sent to you, if you are using a reputable service provider. If not, simply reach out to your web host.
Resolve the malware as soon as possible as your web host can delete your account.
- Hacker’s will verify themselves as the owner of your website’s Google Search Console-
This is to manipulate your geo-targeting and sitemap results. Through an email you will get notified that someone has logged in as the owner of the site. This notification is enough for you to understand that this is a hacker.
- In your site’s search results there are Japanese characters-
This symptom is enough in itself to tell that your site is hacked. Further, if you click on the site, either you will see your normal website or 404 error.
How to fix the Japanese Keyword Hack:
- Remove any new user accounts created in Google Search Console-
Use the “users and property owners” tab to find out if the hackers are successful in gaining admin access. If you recognize any sceptical activities immediately cancel their access.
- Use security Plugins
- Hire a wordpress security expert
- Manual removal of malware
To prevent your website from future hacks use a WordPress firewall plugin. This is just one way to prevent future attacks. To make your website stronger against any malware, try fixing the vulnerabilities first. Hackers use these vulnerabilities as loopholes in your website, which makes it easier for them to hack into your website. Working on understanding how your site was hacked can prove very helpful.
If the above read was helpful. Do also visit another article on 5 SEO Recommendations That Matter the Most!
