Warning: Do not download the Google Bard app! It's malware!

Even though Google has filed a lawsuit to address this malware, scammers are still at work and that's why you should avoid downloading anything like the "Google Bard app". It's malware looking for an opportunity to infect your device.

What is Google Bard?

Google Bard was launched in March 2023 and is Google's response to OpenAI's ChatGPT. While it offers similar functions, it is not as widely available as ChatGPT, a platform that scammers have exploited to infect users' devices with malware.

There are many ways to use Google Bard. You can enter a prompt asking Google Bard to explain how something works, come up with an idea for a project, and even write the code for you.

The key issue is that Google Bard is only available in the browser and requires a Google account. So don't try to install an app advertised as Google Bard, as this is malware that Google is taking legal action to remove.

Why shouldn't you download the Google Bard app?

On November 13, 2023, Google announced on its official blog, The Key, that it was filing a lawsuit and taking legal action against scammers believed to be based in Vietnam. You can view the lawsuit on Thomson Reuters.

The scammers created social media pages under account names such as Google AI, AIGoogle Bard FB and AIGoogleBard, and ran ads encouraging users to download the app version of Google Bard.

However, the download is malware that compromises users' social media credentials, which scammers use to take over accounts and spread malware ads. It is unclear how many users downloaded the malicious version of Google Bard.

To trick users, scammers use Google trademarks, such as Google, Google AI, and Bard, and claim to offer the latest version of Google Bard for unsuspecting users to download.

The scammers are not affiliated with Google and use Facebook posts to spread their malware. For example, scammers imply that their version of Bard is a paid app to download, when in fact Google Bard itself is free to use and requires no download.

Google has sent 300 takedown requests to these scammers since April 2023 and wants to prevent them from registering malicious domains in the future and disable them with US domain registrars. Ky. Google hopes that taking appropriate legal action and collaborating with government officials will expose scammers and promote a safe space for users online.

Stick with Google Bard on your browser!

If you're thinking about downloading the app version of Google Bard you saw advertised on Facebook, think twice; it's malware.

There is no app version of Google Bard at the time of writing, so users should use the free web-based version until Google officially announces a real app. Until then, use the web-based version and always check the reliability of the source before downloading or installing any software.

Lesley Montoya

Update 16 November 2023