http://blog.malwarebytes.org/intelligence/2012/12/misleading-advertising/
misleading advertising
Today we are going to be talking about advertising, specifically misleading advertising. Whether it’s on TV or on the internet, in magazines and newspapers, we see misleading advertising all of the time, you see it all of the time, whether you realize it or not. So how do you spot it? Well, that is one of the things we are going to cover here. Once you know what to look for, you’ll be able to spot it yourself, in most cases without having to look any further than the image in the advert.
Our first example of misleading advertising is an advert promoting a “Free Scan”, but failing to mention it is only the scan that is free. In fact, you have to pay before it will fix anything it claims needs fixing. It should also be noted that in the vast majority of cases, most “problems” found are not problems at all. Registry cleaning software are very fond of using this tactic to promote their products, as are so-called “system cleaners” such as SpeedUpMyPC.
Another example is an advert claiming a company’s service is “Only £17.50 per month”, and fails to point out the tiny print on the ad that requires a minimum of 18-24 month contracts. The advertisement companies know you are highly unlikely to see the tiny print. In addition, by employing the use of white and non-bold text, they make it as hard to see as possible.
Our next target is so-called “free software”. Don’t get me wrong, open source software that is also free is fantastic. However, the kind of software you download from high traffic download websites like ‘Download.com’ tend to make revenue by advertising. This advertising might come in a form you are familiar with like a pop-up or banner ad. However what you need to watch out for is the software that have something a little more coming with them , and you’re highly likely to miss the fact it is included with your software – those lovely and infamous toolbars.
What this advert does not tell you is :: What you’re downloading
“Play Now”, isn’t “Play Now” – there’s a download required that isn’t required at all and what you’re actually downloading is a download manager. A download manager that comes bundled with so much rubbish that your computer is going to hate you.
So after this, ask yourself – can you now spot a misleading site/advert? No? Well okay then, how about we look at another scam doing the round for well over a year, this time, it’s those lovely “you’ve won [product]”, otherwise known as “You [are/have been selected as] [todays/this minutes] winner”. These are highly popular with the rogue survey chaps and come in a variety of flavors. We will focus on just one however and see if you can identify the misleading and malicious intent:
This leads when you click “Continue”, to
What can you do to protect yourself against these tactics? Well, the first is to install an ad block utility or a HOSTS file such as hpHosts that blocks such sites so you will never see them in the first place. This however, will only protect you from those the blacklists and ad blockers know about and are able to block – the best protection is your ability to identify a scam from a mile away, before you even get to the second page in the above example.
The first site you land on, in this case, ipad4u2use.com, is a dead giveaway – there is no way anyone is going to give you an iPad, or anything else, for free. There is always a catch, and in this case, the catch is that you’ve got to fill in your email and other details (which results in you receiving more spam) and fill in surveys, just to find out that you are not going to get the iPad. All of this activity ultimately leads to, yes you’ve guessed – your inbox wanting to kill you.
