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.
Cybernews reports that Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church's official charity organization, had at least 17 websites of its Spanish arm compromised as part of a web skimmer campaign that commenced in February 2024.
Israel subjected to persistent targeting by Iranian hackers The Hacker News reports that Iran-linked threat operations have continued launching malware attacks against Israel last year.
Security researchers have detailed the evolving tactics of the Russian-affiliated threat group Gamaredon, particularly its use of the PteroLNK variant within the Pterodo malware family, GBHackers reports.
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