Malvertising

Malvertising, short for malicious advertising, is a type of online advertising that is designed to infect computers with malware. This form of cyber attack involves cyber criminals injecting malicious code into legitimate online advertising networks. When users click on an infected ad, they are directed to a website that installs malware on their computer without their knowledge or consent.

One of the most notorious malvertising campaigns was the „Kyle and Stan“ campaign, which ran on popular websites like YouTube and Amazon in 2014. The ads appeared to be legitimate, but actually redirected users to websites that installed malware on their devices.

Malvertising can take many forms, including pop-up ads, banner ads, and video ads. It is important for users to be cautious when clicking on online ads and to have up-to-date antivirus software installed on their devices to protect against malvertising attacks.

Examples of malvertising attacks include:

Redirecting users to fake websites that mimic legitimate sites to steal personal information
Installing ransomware on a user’s device, encrypting their files and demanding payment to unlock them
Stealing sensitive information such as credit card numbers or login credentials

Malvertising poses a serious threat to online security and privacy, and users should be vigilant when browsing the internet to protect themselves from these malicious attacks.

For more information, you can visit the Wikipedia page on Malvertising.