Fake Claude installer targets Mac users via Google ads

A fake Claude installer is targeting Mac users through Google ads. Security firm Push Security announced that its researchers discovered an attack technique involving malicious download scams impersonating the AI assistant Claude. The researchers dubbed the technique "Adception," which combines Google search ads with legitimate links from Microsoft's Bing search engine.

The roundabout attack begins with a sponsored search result for "Claude Mac" on Google. According to Push Security researchers, the ad's destination is displayed as the legitimate search engine bing.com, so it appears innocuous on the surface. However, when the ad is clicked, Google's ad system processes the click, then passes through Bing's legitimate click-tracking service before the browser is sent to a hacked WordPress site belonging to a South American retailer, and finally lands on a counterfeit Claude download page. The researchers explained that the attackers deliberately linked real Bing search results to the hacked site, using Bing's legitimate domain in the Google ad while its click-tracking redirect sent victims to a malicious destination.

The fake download page lures Mac users into pasting and running a command directly in the Terminal. While only a single command is shown on screen, users are deceived as a different, malicious command is secretly copied instead.

There are also mechanisms that make detection even harder. The hacked retailer site checks whether visitors arrived via Bing and whether the browser sends specific information. The fake Claude site likewise verifies whether visitors came from Google or Bing. The malicious page only opens for users who pass these verification checks.

As demand for AI tools grows, this case demonstrates that search engine ads—and even links to trusted domains—can be weaponized as attack vectors.