{"id":36610,"date":"2014-07-14T10:25:08","date_gmt":"2014-07-14T17:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=36610"},"modified":"2025-08-19T10:41:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T17:41:34","slug":"google-maps-attack-shuts-down-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/google-maps-attack-shuts-down-business\/","title":{"rendered":"The Surprisingly Simple Google Maps Attack That Shut Down a Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not all hacking requires code-cracking programmers who can slip through complex algorithms. No, sometimes all you need to do to pull out a map\u2014a digital map.<\/p>\n

WIRED has<\/a><\/i> an excellent profile on a type of cyber attack that takes advantage of a service\u2019s social aspects in an effort to divert, damage or destroy another business. These attacks can come in the form of a proper hack, where coding or a certain level of skill is needed, or a hijack, where an attacker poses as its victim on an online repository like Facebook or Google Places. Regardless, by playing on people\u2019s expectations, hackers can achieve their desired effect.<\/p>\n

This type of attack can also be considered, under certain circumstances, to be a social engineering attack<\/a>. Typically, social engineering attacks use personal information that can be found online to play on your emotions to get you give away sensitive information like bank accounts or passwords. But they can also, much like a real-life Denial-of-Service Attack (DoS)<\/a>, be used to deprive a service or person\u2019s resources.<\/p>\n

The attack in question centers on an exotic meat restaurant called Serbian Crown in Great Falls, Virginia. The restaurant, in operation for 40 years, according to the article, was a popular spot. But in early 2012, the exotic meat emporium had a precipitous drop in customers\u2014up to 75% on the weekend, its most frequented days. The manager of the restaurant, Rene Bertagna, was puzzled.<\/p>\n

Bertagna didn\u2019t know something sinister was happening until a regular patron called asking why the restaurant was closed on the weekends. That sinister activity: a community edit to his restaurant\u2019s business hours on Google Places. Instead of reading as \u201copen\u201d during its busiest hours, the online profile read \u201cclosed.\u201d Unfortunately, Bertagna\u2019s epiphany came too late to save the restaurant.<\/p>\n

This type of attack, unfortunately, is more common than one would like to think. Local rivalries, malicious political activists and cutthroat deception often drive information wars on sites like Google Places and Yelp where anyone in the community can make edits or comments. These wars often result in damaged reputations and lost business from illegitimate comments, hijackings and misleading claims.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a problem that likely won\u2019t go away soon thanks to the need for crowdsourced information. Google, Yelp and others, as technologically savvy as they are, cannot differentiate between legitimate contributions to the accuracy of their services and malicious ones.<\/p>\n

Steps to Fight Back<\/h2>\n

So how can you defend yourself from social attacks of this nature? Sadly, there isn\u2019t much. These attacks are hard to detect\u2014and hard to fix<\/a>\u2014especially when parsing legitimate complaints against malicious ones. But there are steps you can take to save your skin from callous online comments.<\/p>\n