Microsoft warns of malware infecting browsers, inserting fake ads

Microsoft's 365 Defender research team has released an update about a persistent malware campaign capable of affecting tens of thousands of devices per day.

Four details:

1. The malware injects ads into search engine results pages for Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Yandex Browser and Mozilla Firefox. "If not detected and blocked, [the malware] Adrozek adds browser extensions, modifies specific DLL per target browser and changes browser settings to insert additional, unauthorized ads into web pages, often on top of legitimate ads from search engines," states the Dec. 10 report.

2. The links appear when users search key words, and they may inadvertently click on the malware-inserted ads. The attackers then receive compensation through the affiliated advertising programs based on traffic.

3. The malware can affect multiple browsers and can exfiltrate website credentials.

4. Microsoft tracked 159 unique domains that hosted an average of 17,300 unique URLs hosting 15,300 malware samples on average. The company also said there have been hundreds of thousands of Adrozek malware encounters globally since September.

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