Google Files Lawsuit Against Scammers Offering Malware-Laden ‘Bard’ AI Software
Google has taken legal action against alleged scammers who are promoting a malware-infected generative AI software called Bard, which shares the same name as Google’s genuine generative AI tool. The lawsuit was filed in a California court on Monday and accuses a group based in Vietnam of creating social media pages, particularly on Facebook, that feature advertisements for the fake Bard software.
Google’s lawsuit states that the defendants, whose identities remain unknown, claim to offer the latest version of Google Bard for download. However, Google clarifies that Bard is a freely available generative AI tool that does not require any downloads. The scammers are not affiliated with Google in any way, yet they deceitfully pretend to be, even using Google trademarks to deceive victims into downloading malware onto their computers.
Prior to filing the lawsuit, Google had sent around 300 takedown notices to the group behind the fraudulent Bard software since April, but their efforts were in vain. Now, Google’s legal action seeks an order to prevent the scammers from creating such domains and to enable disabling them with U.S. domain registrars. If successful, this lawsuit aims to serve as a deterrent and establish clear measures to prevent similar scams in the future.
In an online post, Google highlights that scammers exploit unsuspecting individuals as interest in new generative AI tools rises. The company’s first lawsuit specifically targets those who deceived numerous people globally, looking to use Google’s AI tools, into unknowingly downloading malware.
The emergence of generative AI has provided cybercriminals with new opportunities to create more convincing scams distributed through email and messaging apps. However, Google’s situation is distinct, as malevolent actors capitalize on the recent AI hype to distribute software that falsely claims to provide the same capabilities but ultimately contains nothing more than malware. Installing such software can cause serious trouble for unsuspecting users.
In conclusion, Google has taken decisive legal action against scammers promoting the malware-infected AI software, Bard, which falsely claims to be associated with Google. By targeting these bad actors, Google aims to protect unsuspecting users from downloading harmful software and strengthen measures to prevent future scams associated with its AI tools.
