Searching the Internet is a daily task of our day to day. We can do searches to find out, learn to do something, find a term, a page … It is something so common that we do not notice whether it really is something safe or not. Logically on paper it is not something that involves any kind of problem. Now, can there be malicious ads on Google ? We are going to explain what it consists of.
Malicious ads in Google searches
Google is undoubtedly the most popular and used search engine in Spain. It is the favorite by users and the service that offers us a large number of results regardless of whether we are on a computer or on any mobile device.
But the fact of being so widely used can also serve for hackers. They can set their sights here and try to sneak in some kind of malicious information so that users can get caught. They can even create malicious ad campaigns for these kinds of purposes.
Keep in mind that malicious Google search ads are nothing new. It is a problem that has been present on many occasions in Amazon, PayPal or eBay campaigns, for example. Apparently it is something legitimate, something that would not make users suspicious. Even the normal URL would appear when hovering over it.
This time something like this happened with Home Depot , but it could happen with any other platform. It basically consists of a malicious ad that appears first in searches. This makes it very likely that a user will end up clicking.
The victim sees a search result that appears legitimate, with the link to the original website and everything is correct. But when you click, you end up being redirected through a series of services to a fake helpdesk page.
In this case, in the malicious advertisement related to Home Depot, the victim ends up on a supposedly Windows Defender support page where they are told there is a security warning. This scam repeatedly opens a dialog window and does not allow the user to close it easily.
According to security researchers, this type of scam only redirects users once a day. That is, they only redirect to the same IP address once every 24 hours and thus make it difficult to be detected.
Many users fall prey to fake ads
As we said at the beginning of the article, Google is the most used search engine. This means that it is used daily by inexperienced home users . It can be a problem for those who do not have basic knowledge of computer security and end up clicking on a page that takes them to a site where they are told that their computer has a problem, for example.
This makes it common for them to end up clicking where they shouldn’t, downloading a file or even entering personal data. In many cases, this fake technical service is asking for a telephone number to remotely control that equipment and solve the problem.
To avoid this, common sense is very important. Avoid clicking on any ad that appears in search results and especially if it redirects us to a technical support page or the like.
It is equally essential to have security tools . A good antivirus can prevent the entry of intruders that put our systems at risk. We must also have them updated correctly and thus correct any existing vulnerabilities. We leave you an article with alternatives to search safely.