Ad-Blocking
It is nearly impossible to browse the web without encountering advertisements. It is almost a guarantee that your favorite site uses ads in support of continued content publishing. Often, ads are not supplied by the site owner themselves, but rather a third-party service (Google’s DoubleClick and AdWords are examples, but there are many others). The current process by which organizations purchase ads allows for abuse as those purchasing have a low financial barrier to entry. Additionally, some ad networks do not perform any validation on the identity of those seeking to purchase ad space [1].
The process by which criminal groups purchase ads with the intent to spread malware is known in the information security field as malvertising [2]. Without technical protections, malicious ads can download malware, redirect users to phishing pages, or exploit flaws in software such as Java and Adobe Flash [3].
Recently, Google’s Chrome browser began blocking deceptive or annoying advertisements that do not meet certain advertising standards. This change will have a positive effect on internet security as criminal groups use internet advertising in their campaigns. However, Google will not block all ads as it is still a major portion of their revenue. Additionally, this does not protect Firefox or Safari users. In order to more completely block ads, one would need to install an ad-blocker, a capability possible in all browsers that support browsing extensions. Mobile users are often more susceptible to redirecting ads as mobile browsers do not have ad-blocking capabilities that desktop browsers can add. Ad blocking apps can be installed on your mobile device, but the purpose of this article addresses desktop and laptop browsers.
Ad-blocking software can be added via the browser’s extension menu. Ad blocking extensions are easy to install and are configurable. Ad blockers may sometimes block legitimate content. In these cases, it may be best to turn ad blocking off for the site.
While we do not recommend specific ad blocking software, see these pages from Consumer Reports, Mozilla, and Lifehacker to get started.
[1] W. Zamora, “Truth in malvertising: How to beat bad ads – Malwarebytes Labs”, Malwarebytes Labs, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://blog.malwarebytes.com/101/2016/06/truth-in-malvertising-how-to-beat-bad-ads/. [2] “Malvertising,” Malwarebytes Labs, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://blog.malwarebytes.com/glossary/malvertising/. [3] Google’s Guide to Anti-Malvertising, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://anti-malvertising.withgoogle.com/.