Malvertising: What Is It And Why Is It Surging?

A demonstration of an error message and spam pop ups on a fictional generic device & software program.
Edward Pollitt
By Edward Pollitt
SHARE
THIS



A recent report by a cyber security company has revealed ‘malvertising’ is on the rise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before going into why this is occurring, it is important to clarify exactly what malvertising is.

As the name suggests, Malvertising isn’t dissimilar to advertising. But rather than trying to sell you a product or service, malvertising injects malicious code into legitimate online ads, with the aim of redirecting users to malicious websites.

It is a strategy used to spread malware – software written with the intent damaging devices and stealing data – among unsuspecting users.

And according to clean.io, the decline in brands advertising has led to more malicious activity online.

“With the pullback from brand advertisers in the ecosystem, we’ve seen a surge in malicious activity,” said clean.io CEO Matt Gillis.

“Lower CPMs and an increase in traffic have created the perfect storm for bad actors to disrupt end-user experiences and impair publisher monetization at a time when publishers can least afford further disruption.”

According to the clean.io data, the uptick in malvertising activity started around March 11 and proceeded to surge dramatically for the next 10 days.

And it seems no one is safe from the threat of being caught up in a malvertising attempt, with clean.io revealing creative from brands like Nike, Ford and Bose have all been used.

“Malvertisers are real advertisers,” said Gillis.

“However, their goals are a lot different than the traditional advertiser.

“We’ve seen an uptick in malicious activity over the last few weeks and an impressive array of brands that malvertisers have been using to create their deception and conduct their malicious attacks.”

There are also discrepancies in the browsers and platforms that are attracting the most malicious activity, the report finds.

“We’ve seen malicious ads coming through virtually every browser type over the last month, however, certain browsers have more malicious activity than others,” Gillis said.

“Users consuming web content within Facebook and Snapchat appear to have experienced the majority of the disruption over the last two weeks.

“Chrome Mobile has steadily surged throughout the course of the month. Microsoft’s Edge browser experienced an attack that lasted several days mid-month.”

 

Please login with linkedin to comment

Malvertising malware

Latest News

Eyeota Enhances Reach And Targeting Precision For RDA Research
  • Marketing

Eyeota Enhances Reach And Targeting Precision For RDA Research

Leading Australian market research data brand, RDA Research, provides actionable consumer intelligence to help businesses inform decision making and growth strategies. RDA Research wanted to make its unique consumer data available for addressable digital targeting and required a data onboarding partner to help activate their data in an online environment.

Enthral Strengthens Journalistic DNA By Hiring Channel 7 Reporter Sean Sowerby
  • Media

Enthral Strengthens Journalistic DNA By Hiring Channel 7 Reporter Sean Sowerby

Storytelling agency Enthral has appointed Channel 7 reporter and sports presenter Sean Sowerby as its new senior PR and content manager in Melbourne. Sowerby (pictured) started his award-winning career at 3AW before spending more than 15 years in television. Enthral founder and manager director, Cameron Smith, spoke of the significance of Sowerby joining the agency. […]

Blis Puts Its CEO In The Desert In Clever New “Data Drought” Ad
  • Campaigns
  • Technology

Blis Puts Its CEO In The Desert In Clever New “Data Drought” Ad

Ever since Google first announced it would be getting rid of third-party cookies on Chrome, digital advertising businesses have been actively sharing their plans for life after cookies. And now programmatic advertising company Blis might have come up with the most creative way to get the message across, in a new video which sees company […]

Agency Icon Sweeps The SABRE Awards
  • Marketing
  • Media

Agency Icon Sweeps The SABRE Awards

Integrated Melbourne agency Icon has taken top honours in the 2021 SABRE Awards, winning the coveted Australasian Consultancy of the Year for 2021 along with a host of category and craft awards. Icon led a large field of Australian agencies with a total of three major and seven minor awards, including gold in the cause-related […]

Former Agency Execs Launch Car Service Summon
  • Marketing
  • Media

Former Agency Execs Launch Car Service Summon

Former agency executives Tim O’Neill and Tim Fouhy have launched the auto technology startup Summon. Australia’s first full e-commerce service for prestige cars. O’Neill and Fouhy both founded Reactive, a digital agency, which was bought by Accenture in 2016. Following the deal, O’Neill and Fouhy ended up leading the company’s digital marketing arm, Accenture Interactive before […]