As the general public trusts artificial intelligence, it creates a perfect environment for hackers to trick Internet users into downloading malware, according to official reports from Digital Trends.
One such target is Google’s Bard chatbot, which is used as bait for those online to unknowingly click on infected ads.
The ads are designed to appear as if they are promoting Google Bard, making them appear safe. However, after clicking on it, users are redirected to a web page containing malware instead of the official Google page.
Security researchers at ESET first noticed discrepancies in the ads, which included several grammatical and spelling mistakes in the copy, as well as a writing style that didn’t meet Google’s standards.
The ad directs users to the web page of a Dublin-based company called rebrand.ly instead of a Google-hosted domain, where you’ll actually learn more about the Bard chatbot. Researchers have warned that accessing such pages while logging into browser accounts can expose your private data to hacking.
The ad also includes a download button that, when accessed, downloads a file that appears as a personal Google Drive space. However, it is actually a confirmed malware called GoogleAIUpdate.rar.
ESET researcher Thomas Ohmann said it was one of the biggest cyberattacks of its kind, some of which include fake ads for Meta AI or deceptive marketing of Google AI.
Bard is currently the biggest competitor to JPT’s chat bot. JPT Chat experienced a similar cyberattack in late February, when a data-stealing malware called Redline was spotted by a security researcher. The malware was hosted on the chat-gpt-pc.online website, which was branded as ChatGPT, and advertised on its Facebook page as a legitimate OpenAI link to convince people to access the infected site.
Fake GPT chat apps were also found on Google Play and other third-party Android app stores that could deliver malware to devices if downloaded.
JPT Chat has been a prime target for hackers, especially since it introduced its $20/month JPT Plus tier in early February. Bad actors have even gone so far as to use this chatbot to create malware.
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