In about one out of every three Internet searches for drug information, people are being redirected to illicit online drug sellers, according to research from Carnegie Mellon University, NPR's "Shots" reports.
About the Study
For the study, Carnegie Mellon computer scientist Nicolas Christin and colleagues spent six months running drug searches online. The researchers presented their results in San Francisco last week at the Usenix Security Symposium.
Christin discovered that 32% of the websites listed in online search results for drug information contained malicious code.
How Sites Are Hacked
Computer hackers sneak their own code into legitimate websites so that the illicit site shows up in an online search for prescription drug information.
When someone clicks on the search result, the user is redirected to the online pharmacy. Owners of the legitimate website typically are unaware that their URL is redirecting users to illicit sites.
Hackers often insert the malicious code into websites with URLs ending in .edu or .gov, because such sites generally are trusted sources of information and are highly ranked in Google searches.
Recommendations
Christin recommended that Internet users refrain from "blindly" typing a drug name into a search engine because there is a good chance that the search results could connect them to illegitimate sites.
FDA also has cautioned people to be careful when shopping online for medication. The agency recommends that consumers only use pharmacies that are accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (Shute, "Shots," NPR, 8/12).