Malvertising

Created the Tuesday 23 April 2019. Updated 5 months, 3 weeks ago.

Malvertising is a type of cyber attack that involves using online advertising as a means to spread malware. This is attractive to attackers because it allows them to easily reach a large number of users without having to directly compromise the websites hosting the ads. The ads themselves can be inserted into reputable and high-profile websites, which can help attackers bypass network security measures and reach users who may not be as vigilant about protecting themselves online.

By using malvertising, attackers can exploit the trust that users have in the websites they visit and the ads they see, making it an effective and stealthy way to spread malware.

Technique Identifier

U1002

Technique Tags

malvertising online advertising high-profile websites trust in websites

Code Snippets

Description

In this example, a new div element is created and inserted into the webpage using JavaScript. The div contains a link to a malicious website and an image from that website, which would be displayed as an ad on the page. Of course, in a real-world scenario, the code would be more complex and obfuscated to avoid detection.

<script>
  // Code to insert malicious ad onto webpage
  var adElement = document.createElement("div");
  adElement.innerHTML = "<a href='http://malicious-site.com'><img src='http://malicious-site.com/malicious-ad.jpg' /></a>";
  document.body.appendChild(adElement);
</script>

Contributors

Additional Resources

External Links

The resources provided below are associated links that will give you even more detailed information and research on current evasion technique. It is important to note that, while these resources may be helpful, it is important to exercise caution when following external links. As always, be careful when clicking on links from unknown sources, as they may lead to malicious content.

What is Malvertising | Examples & How It Differs From Ad Malware | Imperva