- 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 (NASDAQ:MSFT) Bing, and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ: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 (NASDAQ: AAPL), Samsung Electronics Co (OTC: 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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