Hi. I'm Arin šŸ‘‹

Security journalist, casual researcher, corgi dad.

How hackers are still using Google Ads to spread malware


Girl in a jacket

Last weekend, Google was found again serving a malicious website at the top of Search as a sponsored result. This isnā€™t the first time Google Ads has approved websites with embedded malware; in fact, the first instance of this goes back to 2007 when the platform (then called Google AdWords) was promoting fake antivirus software widely referred to as ā€œscarewareā€ at the time.

But how, in 2025, can Google, with its DeepMind and deeper pockets, still allow this to happen? How are hackers outsmarting it?


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Malware your Mac can detect and remove


Ever wonder what malware macOS can detect and remove without help from third-party software? Apple continuously adds new malware detection rules to Macā€™s built-in XProtect suite. While most rule names (signatures) are obfuscated, with a bit of reversing engineering, security researchers can map them to their common industry names. See below what malware your Mac can remove!


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How MacPaw is making cybersecurity accessible to everyone; my exclusive interview from Kyiv


Iā€™ve been a CleanMyMac subscriber for nearly a decade, and Iā€™ve been truly impressed by the appā€™s recent focus on providing Mac users with simple yet effective malware detection and prevention features. So, when MacPaw offered to fly me out to Kyiv, Ukraine, to meet and interview the folks leading Moonlock, its cybersecurity division, I jumped at the opportunity.

This interview is divided into three parts: About Moonlock, the technology behind the Moonlock Engine, and whatā€™s planned for the future.


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