Sites that exploit browser security holes to install software (such as malware, spyware, viruses, adware, and trojan horses) are in violation of the Google quality guidelines, and may be removed from Google's index.

In many cases, websites that install badware have themselves been targeted by hackers, and you may not be aware that your site has been compromised until you receive a notification from Google. If your site has been flagged for badware, we'll display a warning to visitors, and we'll tell you about it in the Site summary page of Webmaster Tools. We also send notices to webmasters of affected sites at the following email addresses:

• abuse@
• admin@
• administrator@
• contact@
• info@
• postmaster@
• support@
• webmaster@

If your site has been flagged, ensure that your site is no longer distributing malicious software. You can see what is considered malicious at StopBadware.org's guidelines for websites. Once you are sure that your website is no longer distributing malicious software, and that the vulnerability that led to any compromise (if applicable) has been addressed, request a review of your site. To request a review:

1. Sign in to Webmaster Tools with your Google account.
2. On the Dashboard, in the Tools list on the right-hand side of the screen, click Request reconsideration and follow the instructions.

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.

Unfortunately, cleaning up a compromised site can be very difficult. Simply cleaning up the HTML files is seldom sufficient. If a rootkit has been installed, for instance, nothing short of wiping the machine and starting over may work. Even then, if the underlying security hole isn't also fixed, your site could be compromised again within minutes.

If you'd like to discuss this with Google, or have ideas for how we can better communicate with you about it, please post in our webmaster discussion forum.