Your uncle’s frozen Mac says it’s infected after viewing a Google ad. Now what?

A malware campaign is using Google ads to deliver convincing tech-support scams that freeze Windows and Mac browsers, bypassing some ad filters and endpoint defenses while exposing users across hundreds of legitimate sites. For CIOs and IT leaders, the business risk is not just fraud loss but also help desk disruption, reputational damage, and the need to harden user awareness, browser controls, and detection around ad-delivered threats that can evade traditional security layers.