November 14, 2023 at 08:09AM
Google is taking legal action against cybercriminals who used websites to deliver malware under the guise of offering downloads for its chat-based AI tool, Bard. The malicious sites allowed hackers to gain control of victims’ social media accounts. Google is seeking an order to halt these scams and disable related domains. In a separate lawsuit, Google is also targeting threat actors who abused the DMCA to harm competitors by submitting false copyright takedowns. These actions aim to protect innovation and create a safer internet.
From the meeting notes, it appears that Google has announced its intention to take legal action against cybercriminals who used websites to distribute malware disguised as Google’s chat-based AI tool, Bard. The cybercriminals set up social media pages and advertised these websites to deceive users into thinking they could download Bard. In reality, Bard is an online tool that does not require downloading.
The malware delivered by these malicious websites allowed the cybercriminals to gain control of victims’ social media accounts. Google has filed a lawsuit seeking an order to prevent the scammers from setting up similar domains and to have them disabled by U.S. domain registrars. The tech giant hopes that this legal action will serve as a deterrent and establish a mechanism to prevent similar scams in the future. Google has already taken down around 300 websites connected to this scheme since April.
In a separate lawsuit, Google is targeting threat actors who abused the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) to harm competitors. These threat actors submitted thousands of false copyright takedown requests using various Google accounts. As a result, over 100,000 websites belonging to businesses were wrongfully removed, causing significant financial damage.
Google’s goal with these legal actions is to protect and preserve the culture of innovation in the United States. The company believes that taking appropriate legal measures and collaborating with government officials will hold scammers accountable and contribute to a safer internet for everyone.