The Broadband Guide
SG
search advanced

Google sues scammers over fake Bard AI malware

2023-11-14 13:59 by
Tags: ,

 

Google on Monday filed a lawsuit in California federal court against anonymous individuals it accused of marketing fake "downloads" of its artificial-intelligence chatbot Bard in order to install malware on victims' computers.

According to Google, the scammers "created social media pages and ran ads that encouraged people to 'download' Bard, our freely available generative AI tool that does not need to be downloaded." The scammers used Google's logos, trademarks, and product names like Bard as part of their scheme. The ads usually push targets towards a third-party website set up by the scammers but built to look like its affiliated with Google. On the site, visitors are encouraged to download software to use Bard. However, this is actually harmful malware which is then used to steal the victim's sensitive data. The company said targets of the scheme include small businesses and other Facebook advertisers.

Google's blog post notes that it's already submitted around 300 takedown requests in relation to these scammers, but wants them to be prevented from setting up future malicious domains, and wants them to be disabled with US domain registrars.

The tech giant asked the court to block the scheme and requested the scammers' profits and other monetary damages.Google also accused the defendants of violating its terms of service by impersonating the company and hosting the malware on Google Sites and Google Drive.

"Lawsuits are an effective tool for establishing a legal precedent, disrupting the tools used by scammers, and raising the consequences for bad actors," Google's general counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado writes in the company's blog post.

Read more -here-

 

  Post your review/comments
    rate:
   avg:
News Glossary of Terms FAQs Polls Cool Links SpeedGuide Teams SG Premium Services SG Gear Store
Registry Tweaks Broadband Tools Downloads/Patches Broadband Hardware SG Ports Database Security Default Passwords User Stories
Broadband Routers Wireless Firewalls / VPNs Software Hardware User Reviews
Broadband Security Editorials General User Articles Quick Reference
Broadband Forums General Discussions
Advertising Awards Link to us Server Statistics Helping SG About