Cybercriminals Ramp Up Malvertising Schemes Through Google Searches

Malvertising, the practice of using online ads for malicious purposes, is on the rise, with incidents in the U.S. spiking by 42 per cent in fall 2023, according to cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes. Hackers are leveraging increasingly sophisticated techniques to trick users into clicking on ads that install malware or lead to phishing scams. 

Jérôme Segura, senior director of research at Malwarebytes, warns that this surge is “just the tip of the iceberg,” as more companies and individuals fall victim to such attacks.

Many of these fraudulent ads appear as sponsored content during routine Google searches, posing as legitimate brands or services. Some only ensnare consumers who click on them, but others can exploit vulnerabilities, infecting users merely by visiting an infected site. 

Even corporate employees are being targeted, as hackers prey on their trust in internal portals. For example, hackers recently created a fake Google ad impersonating Lowe’s, which misled employees into entering a phishing page disguised as the retailer’s employee portal.

While Google and other search engines like Bing are not responsible for these attacks, their widespread use and high level of consumer trust make them prime targets for cybercriminals. 

According to Stuart Madnick, a professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, users often let their guard down, believing that anything appearing in a Google search is safe.

To mitigate the risk of ma

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