What Is Malvertising And How Can You Prevent It?

 Most people don't realize that they can be exposed to many threats while surfing the web and moreover those threats can come on safe websites. One of them is malvertising, it is difficult to know accurate figures about the impact of malvertising. But the peak was between 2014-2016, a malvertising campaign led security research firms to report millions of malicious ads across the web. Malvertising can do a lot of damage to unsuspecting users. With a low entry rate to malvertising, the threat remains active. This guide will help you to understand what is malvertising and how to prevent it?

What is Malvertising?

Malvertising is a container for malicious advertising. In short, malvertising is the practice of using online advertisements to infect computers with various types of malware. Malvertising attacks are also commonly known as malware-drive attacks, and can work in a variety of methods. However, there are two common techniques:

* Pre-click : A malvertising campaign that uses a special script that automatically downloads after the ad is loaded. The user does not need to click anything, it is enough to visit a page containing advertisements. This allows attackers to place malvertising on landing pages, or create mal redirect chains to bounce users through some malicious pages.

* Post-click: This occurs when a user downloads malware after clicking on malicious advertising. Attackers still use malvertising redirects to make users move through multiple pages.

Malvertising can carry all kinds of malware. Ranging from adware to ransomware, to a piece of code that changes the settings on our router. Exploit kits are a common malvertising payload. If successful, an exploit kit can open up our system and create other types of malware. Botnets, Trojans, and Cryptojackers are also on the malvertising menu.

How Does Malvertising Work?

We can fall victim to malware by clicking on an infected ad or even by simply visiting a website that is home to a corrupted ad. This second type of malware attack, known as a drive-by download, is particularly troubling. Infected ads only have to finish loading before they will harm our computer.

Cybercriminals can launch malvertising attacks by purchasing ad space from ad networks and then delivering images infected with malicious code. Their hope is that legitimate sites will run these ads and we will click on them, believing they are legitimate ads, or let them load and infect our computers in that way, before the malicious ads are found and removed.

Timely Assembly Malware

A newer method of publishing ads is timely assembly of malware. This includes innocent-looking code components in advertisements that are downloaded separately to the victim's computer. They are then assembled and compiled into a malware payload. This payload can then run or download additional components to complete the assembly. It is very difficult to detect.

Malvertising Threats on Mobile

Malvertising is a particular threat to mobile users. How many times have we accidentally tapped on an ad on a website while scrolling? Or clicking on in-game ads while we're trying to speed things up via cooldown timers or lock screens? Malicious ads don't differentiate between “proper” clicks and accidental clicks. The design of the smartphone doesn't help either. The screen is great for scrolling, but precise clicking is a different proposition. Another smartphone problem is the lack of a security program. Many users don't regard the security of their smartphone in the same way as a desktop or laptop.

Where Does Malvertising Come From?

* Sites that offer other NSFW / NSFL content

* Sites that offer software / cracks / keygens

* Sites that offer Flash games

* Illegal streaming sites

* Torrent Sites

* Sites using “unreliable” TLDs, hosted in “questionable” countries

* Sites that offer coupons, savings and questionnaires

* Betting site

But unfortunately, we can find malvertising anywhere. Due to the way third-party ad networks operate, infected ads can spread to various highly trusted sites at high speed. While some sites are more likely to infect us with malware than others, we can be hit at any time by one of these ads.

Malvertising is also a hidden delivery method. However, RiskIQ research shows that in 2015, the most common form of malvertising was through fake software updates, especially for Adobe's Flash plugin. They can also be spread via fake virus and malware alerts, although the prevalence of certain methods has decreased.

How to Prevent Malvertising

Malvertising seems to be everywhere, but there are some preventative steps we can take:

* Disable Flash and Silverlight: Both are often targeted by attackers, both often contain security vulnerabilities.

* Use the Script Management add-on: Since most ads and scripts are implemented automatically, we can use scripts that block browser extensions to control our web content.

* Use and Update Antivirus: It will catch more things than it misses.

* Consider upgrading: If you have enough money you can buy a premium antivirus, to make the system even more secure.

Conclusion

So What is Malvertising? Maliciously controlled ads that intentionally infect people and businesses. These can be any advertisements on any site and we often use them as part of our daily use of the Internet. Will it continue? Probably not, if there are major changes in the world of the internet, but ads will continue to be served as part of our daily browsing. Big ad networks are not going away unless there are viable alternatives, including existing ad giants. They certainly don't want to give up their profits. And while each of the major ad networks will actively address malvertising threats, there is still a major emphasis on self-protection.

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That's all the information this time. Look forward to other interesting information and don't forget to share this information with your friends. Thank you…

Resa Risyan

Just an ordinary person who wants to share a little knowledge, hopefully the knowledge I provide can be useful for all of us. Keep in mind! Useful knowledge is an investment in the afterlife.