The organization has lodged a complaint against perpetrators believed to be operating from Vietnam, who are enticing users to download a purported type of Bard that is actually malware.
Google is taking legal action against cybercriminals who are exploiting the hype surrounding conceptual AI to deceive individuals into downloading trojans, the company announced. In a currently filed complaint in California, Google states that individuals suspected to be located in Vietnam are creating social media pages and running ads encouraging users to “download” their conceptual AI service, Bard. However, instead of the promised service, the download installs malware that steals social media credentials for fraudulent purposes.
“Plaintiffs, three unidentified individuals, falsely claim to offer the latest version of Google Bard for download,” the complaint alleges. “These individuals have no affiliation with Google, despite creating that impression. They have misused Google trademarks such as Google, Google AI, and Bard to entice unsuspecting victims into unwittingly installing malware on their devices.” The complaint highlights that cybercriminals have specifically utilized sponsored Twitter posts to distribute the malware.
The lawsuit, akin to bitcoin scams, demonstrates how the interest in a nascent technology can be exploited against individuals who may not fully comprehend its workings. For example, the cybercriminals insinuate that Bard is a paid service or application requiring registration, whereas it is actually freely accessible at poet.google.com.
Google’s blog post mentions that it has already submitted approximately 300 takedown requests concerning these scammers but aims to prevent them from establishing potentially harmful domains and have their operations disrupted by US domain registrars. “Legal actions are an effective measure to enforce the law, disrupt the tools used by scammers, and increase the consequences for malicious actors,” states Google’s spokesperson Halimah DeLaine Prado in the company’s blog post.
