Adware is a program that runs on a user’s computer. Malvertising refers to malicious code initially included in ads, which affects users who load an infected website. Malvertising is sometimes confused with adware. “Today, malvertising groups are highly organized businesses,” says Jerome Dangu, co-founder and CTO of Confiant, a company that develops solutions against bad ads. For attackers, this endeavor can be very profitable. Some schemes install scripts that execute click-fraud operations in the background. This method is called “drive-by download,” because all a victim has to do is “drive by” a web page.Ĭyber criminals use malvertising to deploy various forms of money-making malware, including ransomware, cryptomining scripts or banking Trojans. What’s worrying is that people can get infected even if they don’t click on the images: Often it’s enough if they just load. Some of the world’s most popular websites, including those of the New York Times, Spotify and the London Stock Exchange have inadvertently displayed malicious ads, putting their users in jeopardy.

Bad ads can redirect users to malicious websites or install malware on their computers or mobile devices.

Typically, they buy ad space on trustworthy websites, and although their ads appear legitimate, they have malicious code hidden inside them.

Malvertising, a word that blends malware with advertising, refers to a technique cybercriminals use to target people covertly.

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