Malcious ads running on Match.com

Malicious adverts are currently running on Match.com’s UK dating website, which capture clickers and expose them to ransomware, security company Malwarebytes has warned.

How does the attack work? By redirecting those who click on one of the adverts through a series of links to a site that is seeded with code that checks to see if a visitor is running outdated versions of widely used software. Bugs in the versions of Flash, Java, Adobe Reader and Silverlight used in browsers were all being exploited by the malicious code, said Malwarebytes.

Malwarebytes said it was not yet clear how many people had fallen victim to the malicious adverts, because the booby-trapped ads were served via a network that provided content to lots of different sites.

“We’re seeing these types of attacks happen more and more,” said a spokesman for the company. Companies should always have effective measures in place to monitor for these malicious ads.”