This tool helps cybercriminals scam users through Google ads
Mashable
February 25, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
A new report by cybersecurity firm Varonis highlights a sophisticated tool called 1Campaign, which enables cybercriminals to bypass Google's ad fraud detection systems and launch large-scale phishing and scam campaigns. This tool allows hackers to cloak malicious content from security scanners and reviewers, displaying harmless pages instead, while targeting users with fraudulent ads. 1Campaign provides real-time analytics, visitor profiling, and traffic blocking options to evade detection, making it a powerful weapon for malvertising.
The tool, developed by a hacker known as DuppyMeister, assigns each user a "fraud score" based on IP addresses, geographic locations, device types, and other data points. This information is used to serve highly targeted malicious content. 1Campaign has been available on the cybercriminal market for three years and operates through secret Telegram channels, offering support to its users. Its success lies in its ability to manipulate search engines and ad platforms, including Google, to display malicious ads while avoiding detection.
The tool's impact is significant, as it allows hackers to compromise legitimate advertiser accounts, such as 35 Google Advertiser accounts recently targeted by a hacking group. This highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminal tools and their ability to exploit vulnerabilities in advertising platforms. The report underscores the importance of staying vigilant against evolving threats in online advertising.
For tech-savvy readers, understanding the capabilities of tools like 1Campaign is crucial for recognizing potential risks in digital advertising. The tool's success rate in evading detection demonstrates a worrying trend in the evolution of cybercrime tactics, emphasizing the need for robust security measures and awareness among both advertisers and users.
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Originally published on Mashable on 2/25/2026