I reinstalled a mac from scratch. As a first step, as usual, I go on installing Homebrew. I searched for the website, blindly clicked the first result, copied/pasted the usual installing script, entered the admin password, and... strange error in an even stranger modal. I repeat the operation, same error. Then I noticed that the copied script has a weird string, suspect, checked the page URL and https://sites.google.com/blablabla WTF?! I went back, and everything was clear: I was tricked by a sponsored result that links to a site containing malware: image The website is an exact copy of Homebrew's official one. Sure, I was foolish not to check more carefully, but the first search result and a bit of fatigue threw me off. It drives me crazy how Google treats us like children when it comes to security, it develops AI that’s supposed to prevent dangers and problems, and then… it fucks us over with its own tools (which, by the way, it makes money off of).

Replies (20)

Did you have to wipe the machine? Hope it didn’t hack into your home network! That’s scary..
greenart7c3's avatar
greenart7c3 1 week ago
First thing I do is install an ad blocker extension
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Showtime 1 week ago
Et oui et plus on ira de l’avant, moins les sources ne seront sûres et tout dépendra de l’impact des partenariats avec ces grosses structures qui manipulent et continueront de s’optimiser sur cela… #slop
Yes I wiped it. Luckily it was just wiped and Homebrew is the first software I install, so I lost only 10 minutes.
I'm Google free too. But on this new mac I opened Safari to find Homebrew's website, and Google is the default search engine 🤦‍♂
I appreciate and use it. But I needed to quickly setup this mac as server, so I didn't setup my usual configuration.
Apiarium's avatar
Apiarium 1 week ago
Have they fixed the scam redirect URLs already?
I abandoned Google in 2010 when it became worse than crap. I surprised people still use. There are infinitely better alternatives.
Bond008's avatar
Bond008 1 week ago
Copy pasting install scripts from the internet, what could go wrong? /s lol. At least it seems like you didn't give them much info assuming you don't reuse those credentials and its a fresh install laptop.
Google has been this way for awhile now, since maybe like 2023 they started putting sites with malware or phishing scams as the top result above the actual site you're looking for.
I doubt they are doing it purposely... the scammers have just figured out how to game the system. But, if you're ever installing stuff... be very, very careful. That even is true if you're using the app stores (which are supposedly moderated/checked... but they aren't checked well).