Google, Microsoft Search Engine Users Fall Prey To Malvertising

Online search engine users are falling prey to nasty scams and malware hiding behind the ads called "malvertising" that sit on top of search pages, the Washington Post reports.
The search engines included DuckDuckGo, Microsoft Corp MSFT Bing, and Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOG Google.
Unsuspecting users fell for scam search ads, tricking them into inadvertently handing over their passwords or downloading malware.
It could hack their system if they fail to spot it.
Apart from scam search ads, there are ads for fake banks, fake sites for the IRS and other government agencies, and phony crypto wallets, to name a few.
The search engines have failed to reach a solution so far.
DuckDuckGo acknowledged scammers evolve their tactics and spin up and take down sites regularly to avoid getting onto blacklists.
Google's previous countermeasures failed to curb advertisers impersonating government websites.
Google users also suffered browser hijacking with fake warnings urging them to call fake Microsoft agents for support.
In 2021, Check Point Research identified a Google-ad phishing campaign that led to the theft of at least half a million dollars worth of cryptocurrency.
Recently Google came under the regulatory scanner for paying billions of dollars each year to Apple Inc AAPL, Samsung Electronics Co SSNLF, and other telecom giants to illegally dominate as the default search engine.
Price Action: GOOG shares traded lower by 0.32% at $103.57 in the premarket on the last check Friday.
Photo credit: Pixabay by Pexels and Wikimedia commons

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