In this conversation, James Dooley interviews cybersecurity-minded SEO expert Brian Kato on how to defend against “black art” (negative) SEO tactics. Brian explains that many “attacks” are self-inflicted through poor link building, weak foundations, and technical mistakes like incorrect canonicals. He then outlines true negative SEO vectors including entity poisoning (brand disambiguation and knowledge panel manipulation), review bombing, and more coordinated reputation attacks that can reduce trust and visibility in search. They discuss how to respond to suspicious one-star reviews, when (and when not) to use disavow, and why establishing a clear baseline of “normal” performance is critical for identifying real attacks early. Brian also hints that the most damaging negative SEO can come from weaponizing systems inside Google, encouraging viewers to attend his full talk for deeper insight.