That attractive online ad might be a malware trap
Malware increasingly travels through the infrastructure that delivers online advertising. The Media Trust’s Global Report on Digital Trust, Ad Integrity, and the Protection of People describes a digital ad ecosystem where scam campaigns, malicious redirects, and malware delivery appear alongside marketing traffic.
The financial impact of these threats continues to grow. Estimated consumer and business losses in the United States tied to malware, scams, and ad-borne fraud exceeded $12.5 billion in 2025. Exposure also remains widespread among internet users. Seven in ten adults reported encountering a digital scam or phishing attempt during the previous 12 months.
The advertising infrastructure continues to expand. Global digital advertising spending surpassed $740 billion in 2025, creating a network that distributes ads across websites, mobile apps, streaming platforms, and connected devices.
Malicious activity is rising within that system. Malvertising incidents increased 42% in 2025 year over year, marking the largest surge recorded since 2019.
Scam campaigns travel through ad traffic
Many malvertising operations involve scam campaigns that target internet users through digital advertising. Identity theft appears most frequently among the scams delivered through malicious advertising. Shopping scams, fake invoices, and impersonation schemes also appear regularly.
AI is also appearing in malicious advertising campaigns. In 2025, 63% of brand-impersonation ads detected used AI-generated imagery or text.
A user may encounter these scams while browsing websites or interacting with online ads. Malicious creatives can appear within advertising supply chains and reach users on multiple platforms.
Malicious actors benefit from the scale of programmatic advertising. Once a compromised creative or redirect script enters the supply chain, it can appear across many websites and advertising platforms.
“Advertising has always been part of the digital media function. What has changed is the scale and sophistication with which threat actors exploit that infrastructure. The advertising supply chain now represents both economic opportunity and systemic risk. The organizations that recognize this and invest in prevention will protect both their consumers and their revenue,” said Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust.
Redirect malware continues circulating in ad networks
Redirect malware continues to appear within digital advertising infrastructure. One example is the redirect malware family GhostCat, which appeared across 48 ad networks in 2025.
Redirect malware can spread through advertising supply chains once malicious code enters the ecosystem. These campaigns can reach users through advertising platforms across websites and apps.
Financial gain represents the dominant objective behind many malware campaigns associated with digital advertising. A breakdown of observed malware motivations shows 52% linked to ransom or extortion activity.
Other activity involves credential theft and data collection that attackers later use in fraud operations.
Advertising expansion creates a wider attack surface
Changes in digital media distribution continue to expand the environments where advertising appears. Ads now reach users on websites, mobile applications, streaming platforms, and connected television devices.
Connected television spending surpassed $40 billion in 2025, adding another major channel to the digital advertising ecosystem.
Each new format connects to programmatic infrastructure used to distribute ads throughout digital media. When malicious actors gain access to the advertising supply chain, malicious creatives can appear across those distribution systems.
Trust and ad integrity affect revenue outcomes
Malware and fraud within advertising systems affect how people view digital ads. Global ad-fraud losses reached about $41 billion, showing the scale of fraudulent activity within digital media.
Only 39% of consumers report trusting digital ads, a signal that scams and malicious creatives influence how audiences respond to marketing messages.
Publishers also see the effect in campaign performance. Sites that maintain stronger control over their advertising supply paths tend to generate stronger ad revenue than those where malicious or suspicious ads appear more frequently.
Advertising networks deliver large volumes of marketing content every day. The same infrastructure can also carry scams and malware when attackers gain access to the supply chain, linking ad integrity to both user trust and advertising performance.