Online Ads Are Now the #1 Malware Delivery Channel, Beating Email
Malvertising now accounts for over 60% of all observed malware and phishing campaigns, dethroning email as the top threat vector.
Move over, sketchy email attachments. Online advertising is now the king of malware delivery.
A new report from The Media Trust reveals that online ads leapfrogged email as the primary channel for distributing malware in 2025. Malicious advertising — or malvertising — now accounts for more than 60% of all observed malware and phishing campaigns.
That's a significant shift. For years, email was the undisputed champion of digital nastiness. Phishing links, dodgy attachments, fake invoices — your inbox was ground zero. Not anymore.
The rise of programmatic advertising and the sheer volume of ads served across the web have created a massive attack surface. Bad actors are exploiting it aggressively.
For users, the takeaway is blunt: ad blockers aren't just about convenience anymore. They're a security tool. For the ad industry, it's a credibility crisis that keeps getting worse.