Malvertising is an online attack that disguises harmful codes in advertisements that appear authentic when run on reputable sites. This makes malvertising especially deceptive and dangerous, as it looks legitimate and often appears on highly trusted sites. So, how exactly does malvertising work? How is it growing into a cyber threat, which more and more people seem to encounter? Let’s find out how to debunk this as we discover effective means to protect ourselves against this threat.
What Is Malvertising?
Malvertising is the act of attackers inserting malicious code into online ads, which can then be served on the web. These ads usually appear legitimate but may even be served to high-traffic websites; hence, they seem genuine. Malvertising does not necessarily need any action by the user because just viewing or loading the compromised ad is enough to have malware on your device. The financial and personal impacts of malvertising are profound. For example, in 2016, a popular website called the New York Times was affected by malvertising. Malicious ads were placed on its pages, and hundreds of thousands of users could have been exposed to malware simply by visiting the site.
There have been other instances whereby most popular sites, such as the BBC and AOL, fell to malicious ads without knowing their intentions, so millions accessed the site. Mainly, well-reputed sites are targeted, especially those that attract huge traffic, since visitors expect nothing wrong to happen to those pages.
How Does Malvertising Work?
It is always hard to catch malvertising because it usually disguises itself in regular sites. The following discusses various forms of attacks of malvertising:
- Redirects: A bad ad will redirect the user to a malicious site that downloads malware onto the device
- Drive-By Downloads: Certain malvertisements will download malicious files automatically upon display of the ad, even if the user does not click on it. This is particularly dangerous because it operates without any form of user interaction.
- Exploit Kits: The attacker exploits the vulnerability in the user’s software, for example, a browser or plugin, to download malware. These ads check for unpatched software using known weaknesses.
- Fake Ads: These are masquerading as a legitimate offer or download link but contain malware, phishing attempts, or scams.
Why Is Malvertising on the Rise?
There are several reasons for the recent surge in malvertising:
- Rise of Online Advertisement: With digital advertisement in full swing, attackers can easily insert malicious ads that do not attract attention and are overlooked by security systems.
- Complex Ad Network: Online advertisements have many intermediaries in their network, such as exchanges and demand-side platforms. This complexity of networks provides more opportunities for malicious ads to go undetected by security systems.
- User’s Trust Towards Popular Websites: Generally, users have confidence in well-known sites. The attacker takes advantage of the trust of these site users and gives them a false sense of security. In such scenarios, users must be more vigilant and alert about the threats.
Recognizing Malvertising in Action
It is challenging to detect malvertisements because malicious advertisements look like regular ads. The following indications will provide some likelihood:
- Unwanted Pop-Ups: If a pop-up or redirect appears after an ad has been clicked, it may be malvertising.
- Slow to an Unusual Degree or Freeze: If your computer becomes very slow or freezes following a website opening, then perhaps malware is trying to run on your computer.
- Senseless Ads: Irrelevant or misleading ads that encourage you to download software or click a link should attract attention.
How to Protect Yourself from Malvertising
The following are some steps that will keep you safe:
- Use Ad Blockers: Ad blockers block all ads from appearing, which reduces the chances of encountering a malvertisement. Unfortunately, they cannot be relied on fully to safeguard all users, especially those whose sites restrict ad blockers.
- Keep Software Updated: Also, you must update your browser and plugins to patch vulnerabilities that the malvertising attacks exploit.
- Enable Security Software: Use antivirus software with features like real-time protection and malware scanning to catch the threats early.
- Be careful when clicking ads: Nowhere do we say some websites like adult or copyrighted content sites are more hazardous, but still minimize the number of clicks to those pages.
- Make use of a VPN: Yeah, it is something so seemingly petty, yet it can save you significant time; a VPN encrypts your internet connection, brings you one additional layer of protection, and significantly reduces, by leaps and bounds, the possibility of falling prey to drive-by malvertising.
- Inspect URLs and Links. Hover over links to inspect the URL before clicking; malvertisements usually use spam links that can be viewed properly.
Conclusion
Malvertising is one of the critical threats in the current cyber world because it can penetrate a legitimate Ad network, reaching unsuspecting users on reputable websites. An improved understanding of how malvertising works and best practices for protection will go a long way in providing a safer online experience. Being better informed and, therefore, more vigilant can be the core of protection from all hidden dangers of malvertising.
Malvertising reminds us that everything that looks shiny may not be safe; the brightest ads are sometimes suspect and harbor the darkest intentions.
