Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Which malware distribution technique involves deceptive advertisements?

1. Phishing

2. Malvertising

3. Click-jacking

4. Spear-phishing

The correct answer is: Malvertising

Malvertising refers to the distribution of malicious software through online advertisements. This technique exploits the ad networks that serve legitimate advertisements by embedding malicious code within them. When users click on these deceptive advertisements, they can inadvertently download malware onto their devices or be directed to malicious websites. In the case of malvertising, the advertisements themselves may look legitimate and innocuous, which leads to unsuspecting users clicking on them. This method often targets a wide audience and can lead to significant security breaches since users may not realize the risks associated with these ads. Phishing involves tricking individuals into providing sensitive information through fraudulent emails or spoofed websites, which differs from the advertisement-focused strategy of malvertising. Click-jacking, on the other hand, tricks users into clicking on something different from what they perceive, often through layered websites and deceptive design, while spear-phishing is a targeted phishing attempt aimed at a specific individual or organization. Both of these methods do not primarily rely on deceptive ads as their main distribution mechanism for malware.