An ever-present issue when using a computer is the threat of malware.
Malware is a portmanteau of the words malicious and software and is a catch-all term for any malicious software.
At the worst end of things, it covers ransomware, viruses, and worms.
It also covers adware, trojans, and cryptocurrency miners, at least those installed unintentionally.
Hackers writing malware have two complex tasks.
The first is to design the software so that it is hard to identify.
This is simply an extension of the coding of the malware.
The other main problem faced is distributing the malware.
Another option is to use an explicitly designed system to disseminate content as widely as possible.
This is done via advertising.
This attack is much less successful as it requires the victim to choose the advert actively.
Chances can be increased by making the advert as clickbait-y as possible, but click rates are still low.
Countermeasures
As malvertising became a thing, many computer users installed an adblocker.
Though there are many possible driving forces behind doing so, avoiding malvertising is often a big plus.
This is highly effective because you cant be infected by malvertising if you dont see any adverts.
Mainstream advertising agencies saw malvertising in general and adblocking especially having an impact on their bottom line.
To protect their income, they implemented progressively more robust systems of checks on the advertising content they served.
This has generally reduced the amount of malvertising that can be found in general.
Nevertheless, some less scrupulous advertising agencies dont perform the same checks and still serve malvertisements.
Its also generally a good idea to run some anti-virus tool just in case.
Dont use a pirated version, as all of those are malware.
Malvertising on a Billboard?
Now an advert on the TV, billboard, or poster isnt going to infect anything on its own.
Several adverts now carry aQR codeas a quick and easy link to see the advertised product on your smartphone.
Unfortunately, this makes it relatively simple to do the same thing.
