Buzz
However, online scammers are well aware of this and are finding ways to infiltrate these search results using phishing tactics. Links that seem accurate and harmless, such as WhatsApp applications, the 'Pro' version of bootable USB software, can be fake but meticulously crafted to deceive users into clicking, downloading a file, and becoming victims.
Fake AMD impersonation websites that are indistinguishable from the real ones.Even hardware companies are targeted for impersonation. Mytour has observed fake AMD graphics card driver download pages and EVGA graphics card official websites being copied to trick users into downloading viruses. With increasing sophistication, many have fallen victim. They achieve this by buying ads on Google, and the search results will automatically display malicious links at the top (with the 'Ad' label at the beginning of the line).
Just a few days ago, 'NFT God,' a seasoned internet user heavily invested in various cryptocurrencies, had all his 'digital assets' wiped out when trying to download OBS livestream software. Moreover, the hackers sent 32,000 emails to his fan community, causing him to lose the trust built over a year, NFT God said.
Stay Vigilant, Even Knowledgeable Users Can Fall for Deception.Fortunately, ordinary users like us can take a simple step to avoid falling prey: install an ad-blocking add-on. These add-ons will filter out all ads on the search results page, helping you avoid the risk of clicking on hacker's malicious links. This is especially useful if you don't know the exact name of the website or software you are looking for.
However, this solution will soon be disabled by Google on Chrome: They plan to revamp Chrome this year to render ad-blocking add-ons ineffective. It will also affect browsers built on the Chromium platform, such as Edge or Coc Coc. Luckily, you can still switch to using Firefox – the author personally uses uBlock Origin and is very satisfied with its effectiveness.
uBlock Origin.According to Google's policy, even if hackers are detected buying ads to spread viruses and deceive users, their accounts are not immediately locked. They do not allow links to viruses, ransomware, worms, trojans, rootkits, keyloggers, spyware, but if violated, the wrongdoer will only receive a warning and punitive measures will be taken at least 7 days later. Therefore, users should equip themselves with knowledge to protect against such threats.
