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Google Inc. has cancelled paid advertisements that cybercriminals were using to redirect users to sites containing malicious software that would steal banking data and other personal information.
The ads, linked to 20 search terms, appeared on Google as legitimate organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and cars.com.
But the links instead took unsuspecting users to a site that would attempt to install software aimed at taking advantage of a security gap in older versions of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.
Exploit Prevention Labs chief technology officer Robert Thompson first posted information about the problem Tuesday on the security company's blog.
Google said in a statement it cancelled the accounts on Tuesday upon learning of their existence.
"We are also evaluating our systems to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to block future attempts," the company said Thursday.
from CBC News
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