Google fights scammers using Bard hype to spread malware

Google is taking legal action against scammers, believed to be based in Vietnam, who are exploiting the popularity of generative AI to trick people into downloading malware. The scammers have set up social media pages and run ads encouraging users to download Google's generative AI service Bard, which instead delivers malware that steals social media credentials. The lawsuit states that the scammers have used Google trademarks to deceive victims and have specifically used promoted Facebook posts to distribute the malware.

The lawsuit also highlights how emerging technology can be used against people who may not fully understand it. The scammers have implied that Bard is a paid service that needs to be downloaded, when it is actually free at bard.google.com. Google has already submitted around 300 takedown requests related to these scammers and is seeking to prevent them from setting up future malicious domains and to have them disabled with US domain registrars.

Key takeaways:

Google is suing scammers who are using the hype around generative AI to trick people into downloading malware, pretending to offer a download of Google's AI service Bard.
The scammers, believed to be based in Vietnam, are setting up social media pages and running ads, and the downloaded files steal social media credentials.
The lawsuit highlights how interest in emerging technology can be weaponized against people who may not fully understand how it operates.
Google has already submitted around 300 takedown requests related to these scammers and is seeking to prevent them from setting up future malicious domains.

Google fights scammers using Bard hype to spread malware

Key takeaways:

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