Increasingly popular Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek has been exploited by threat actors in phony sponsored Google ads for malware distribution efforts, reports Security Affairs.
Individuals searching for DeepSeek on Google are being presented with malicious ads spoofing the AI platform, which redirect to a highly convincing website with a download button that facilitates the deployment of Microsoft Intermediate Language-based trojan tracked as Malware.AI.1323738514, according to a Malwarebytes alert. Such a new threat should prompt users to avoid sponsored search results and be more vigilant of websites' URLs. "If you don't want to see sponsored ads at all then it's worth considering installing an ad-blocker that will make sure you go straight to the regular search results," said the alert. Such a development comes as DeepSeek has been subjected to mounting bans amid data privacy concerns, with Texas being the first U.S. state to prohibit the app, alongside Chinese social media apps RedNote and Lemon8, across state-issued devices last month.
Apple's threat notifications are triggered by the detection of mercenary spyware, which is described as sophisticated, expensive, and aimed at a small number of individuals, often journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats.
Bitdefender has identified that fake downloads of "The Odyssey," presented as scene releases with .exe files disguised by VLC icons, are actively spreading Lumma Stealer.
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