We want our users to feel safe when they search the web, and we're continuously working to identify dangerous pages and to increase protection for our users. Google uses automatic algorithms and user feedback to compile lists of sites that may be dangerous. The two major types of dangerous pages on our lists are phishing pages and malware pages. These lists can't perfectly protect users from every risky site on the web, and there is always a chance that a safe site could be misidentified as risky, but we update the lists regularly to keep them as current as possible.
| Phishing | Learn more... |
| Malware | Learn more... |
| Requesting a malware review of your site | Learn more... |
| Phishing |
Phishing, or spoofing, is a type of attack in which a page asks you for your personal or financial information under false pretenses. To learn more about phishing, visit Antiphishing.org.
If you believe that we're including a page on our list that is not a phishing page, please send us a phishing error report. You can also let us know about a phishing page if you find one that we've missed.
| Malware |
Malware is a type of software that attempts to steal your personal information or use your computer to do things that you do not intend. Malware pages are web pages containing malicious code that could be downloaded and installed on your computer without your consent. You can learn more about harmful web content including viruses and other malicious software and how to protect your computer at StopBadware.org.
You can find out if your site has been identified as a site that may host or distribute malicious software (one type of "badware") by checking the Dashboard in Webmaster Tools. (Note: you need to verify site ownership to see this information. More information about site verification.) We also send notices to webmasters of affected sites at the following email addresses for the site:
- abuse@
- admin@
- administrator@
- contact@
- info@
- postmaster@
- support@
- webmaster@
This identification is based in part on guidelines set by StopBadware.org. However, Google uses its own criteria, procedures, and tools to identify sites that host or distribute badware. In some cases, third parties can add malicious code to legitimate sites, which would cause us to show the warning message. If you feel your site has been mistakenly identified, or if you make changes to your site so that it no longer hosts or distributes malicious software and you secure your site so that it is no longer vulnerable to the insertion of badware, you can request that your site be reviewed (see below).
| Requesting a malware review of your site |
Once you have reviewed your site and are sure it is clean, you can can submit a request for review. Note that you'll need to verify site ownership before you can request a site review.
- On the Webmaster Tools Home page, select the site you want.
- In the Parts of this site may be distributing malware message, click More details.
- Click Request a review.
We'll review your site and, if we determine that it doesn't host or distribute badware, we'll remove the identification from the search results.