‘Threat actors are adapting social engineering and monetization strategies to modern user behaviour’: Microsoft warns AI chatbots could send victims to malicious sites – so be wary when you click

Microsoft researchers observed cybercriminals adapting SEO poisoning tactics to AI platforms, tricking AI into recommending fake help sites like HWMonitor and CrystalDiskInfo
Victims who follow these AI-suggested links download malware via DLL sideloading, which installs ScreenConnect for hacker access and can lead to cryptojacking
Defenders should treat AI recommendations with the same caution as search results and verify links before download to avoid compromise

With the advent of artificial intelligence, the Internet browsing habits of most users have changed drastically, and the way cybercriminals deliver malware to their victims has also changed as a result.

In the years before AI, crooks used the “SEO poisoning” technique to trick search engines into showing malicious and fraudulent websites at the very top of search engine results pages. By exploiting the trust users had in these engines, bad guys could expect the malware to be downloaded without much scrutiny.

But now AI tools are eating away at search engine market share, with a new report from Microsoft finding threat actors have found a way to trick AI into recommending fake and malicious links.

Drops a cryptojacker

It’s an interesting finding, since most SEO experts still haven’t cracked that code, and since there’s no “industry standard” to be mentioned by AI.

In any case, Microsoft said it observed cybercriminals creating fraudulent websites that spoof popular PC tools such as HWMonitor or CrystalDiskInfo. They (somehow) get the AI to mention these sites to people who ask about these tools, and if people believe the AI, they end up downloading the malware.

The malware is loaded onto the device using the DLL sideloading technique, which in turn installs ScreenConnect and gives the attackers direct access to the device. The criminals would then profile the device, scan the network and, if they decided, install a cryptojacker.

The cryptojacker then mines cryptocurrency for the attackers and earns them virtual coins as the victims are left with a useless computer and a huge electricity bill.

“This combination of AI-assisted delivery, software impersonation, and persistent access highlights how threat actors are adapting social engineering and monetization strategies to modern user behavior,” Microsoft said.

To defend against these attacks, users should do the same things they do against SEO poisoning attacks – don’t blindly trust AI/search engine responses.