The type of damage caused by the infiltration of malware always depends on the motivations of the cybercriminal. In a few rare cases, the attack targets the administrator and causes the entire website to be paralyzed or fake content to be embedded. These attacks sometimes go so far that the hackers demand a ransom from the administrator for the proper functioning of the website. Very often, an infected Web page also rhymes with a decrease in turnover and number of visitors. In addition, the trust of visitors and customers is weakened. Hacked websites not only cause damage to administrators, but also to Internet users. In many cases, it is the website that hosts the malicious scripts. Subsequently and via DNS Spoofing attacks (which aim to redirect Internet users to pirate sites), the malicious code infiltrates visitors’ PCs and is installed automatically, unless it is blocked by a security software. In addition to viruses that cause considerable damage to the computer system, cybercriminals can use spyware and keyloggers with which they collect user data. Visitors to an infected website also run the risk of having their sensitive datasuch as their bank details or passwords.
In addition to constituting a risk for the image of the site and harming its traffic, the administrator may also suffer legal consequences if certain security measures have not been respected. Finally, penalties can be applied by search engines concerning the referencing of the site, even in the event of harmless attacks such as sending spam.
