🚨 “Malvertising”: That’s the snazzy term for malware that spreads through “sponsored content” results at the top of Google searches. One click and you’re off to a shady site that steals your personal info or worse. Stay safe: Double-check URLs for misspellings or type them in manually. Keep your OS and browser updated, too. The best defense? Strong antivirus software.
Stop looking for free software this way - It's a malware trap
The Google Ads network is home to many seedy individuals, and this new development sheds light on how dangerous your search results can be. What is malvertising? What can you do to protect yourself? Tap or click here for everything you need to keep your data safe.
Read on to learn more about the Formbook Google Ads scam.
What is the Formbook data stealer?
The Formbook scam is slightly different from the usual fare most consumers deal with. It has a clever way of hiding from your antivirus and firewall. One of the ads in question claims to be for a 2023 Blender download, but don’t be fooled.
This campaign uses KoiVM virtualization technology to introduce the Formbook exploit to your system. How? The difference lies in the relationship between your hardware and software.
Virtual machines virtualize the physical components of a real computer, allowing you to work within an isolated computing environment.
Essentially, these ads bypass antivirus software and other security measures by hiding the exploit’s script by translating it into malicious, virtualized code that only a virtual machine can decipher. Once it’s in your physical device, it can be translated back and executed at any time.
This extra layer of “encryption” makes detecting and analyzing the issue difficult. It’s an unusual approach to take with this type of technology — all the more reason to stay vigilant, even when you’re not doing anything hazardous.
How to keep Formbook out of your virtual machine
Google Ads has had a lot of trouble with malicious ads over the last couple of years. The only real way to stay safe is to follow these best practices when online:
- Avoid clicking on ads that appear in Google search results.
- Read the headlines, URLs and ad copy carefully for typos and other red flags.
- Visit sites by URL instead of through search engines.
A great ad-blocker might go a long way in this regard. While this scheme is good at avoiding being caught by antivirus software, having something solid in place is always our recommendation.
Check your browser! These malicious extensions have been installed 1M times
Browser extensions enhance your online experience. They can help with translations, conversions, spellchecking, shopping and blocking popup ads. They allow you to customize your browsing experience and can even change the way websites look. Dark mode is one example of a popular extension.
Insider trick to get help from Amazon when you need it - and not get scammed
If you’ve ever tried to contact Amazon’s customer service, you know how tricky it can be. The company doesn’t do a great job of promoting its phone number, so you end up clicking from page to page trying to find it.
Instead of dealing with this frustration, many people try to Google it. Bad idea! As we’ve seen in the past, doing an online search for things like customer service numbers or tech support can lead you down a bad path. Tap or click here to learn how tech support searches can lead to scams.
Watch out! Malicious ads in Google search leading to costly scam
Google has taken down more than 1.7 billion fake ads, but it’s missed one of the biggest scams out there. This ad looks legitimate, but it leads anyone who clicks into a dangerous tech support scam. I’ll show you what to look for so you’re not tricked by this divisive tactic.