Meta ads linked to widespread scams and malware in EU, UK

As reported by Tech Radar, a significant portion of advertisements on Meta platforms in the EU and UK have been found to be linked to scam campaigns, including phishing and malware distribution.

Research by Gen Digital analyzed over 14.57 million Meta ads, revealing that nearly one-third were associated with fraudulent activities. These malicious ads generated over 304 million impressions across the EU and UK within a 23-day period. Malvertising now constitutes 41% of all cyberattacks targeting individuals, making it the primary threat to consumers.

The study highlighted that scam activity is highly concentrated, with the top malicious 10 advertisers responsible for over half of all fraudulent ads. These operations appear to be industrial-scale, with researchers tracing infrastructure and payment systems to China and Hong Kong, noting the reuse of domains and identical ad text across multiple campaigns.

Source: Tech Radar