Viruses and malware always manage to find a way. Online browsing requires extra caution, yet malware can occasionally appear where you least expect it, including in Google Search advertising.
To spread malware, hackers and programmers have created bogus websites for well-known pieces of software. By disguising themselves as legitimate websites for non-malicious software, they’re able to get approved for publishing ads that pop up in Google search results above all other results.
In one instance, someone downloaded an EXE file that appeared first innocent while searching for the video streaming/recording program OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). A few hours later, hackers were able to access that person’s email, bitcoin wallets, and social media accounts. Even the web browser data on the PC was copied.
But it’s not only OBS. There are many different programs and pieces of software that hackers have tried to copy in order to spread malware. The developer’s website, which typically does not show up as an ad result in Google, is always the best place to get software from.
