Telecom
Sophos Uncovers Top 7 Ways Cyberscammers, Malware Operators Abuse Google Forms
Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, has published research, “Phishing and Malware Actors Abuse Google Forms for Credentials, Data Exfiltration,” describing how cyberattackers – from entry-level scammers to advanced adversaries – abuse Google Forms to implement a wide range of attacks, targeting both organizations and individuals.
Sean Gallagher, senior threat researcher at Sophos, “The extent to which cyberattackers abuse Google Forms came to light while we were researching how malware abuses encryption to conceal its activities and communications.
“Google Forms offer cyberattackers an attractive proposition: the forms are easy to implement and trusted by both organizations and consumers; the traffic to and from the service is secured with Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption so it can’t be easily inspected by defenders; and the whole set up essentially provides a free attack infrastructure.
“Our analysis shows that while most abuse of Google Forms by cyberattackers remains firmly in the low-skill phishing and fraud spam space, there are increasing signs that adversaries are taking advantage of the platform for more sophisticated attacks.
“Sophos’ examples of this include attackers using Google Forms to exfiltrate data and for malware command-and-control.”
Below are the seven ways that Sophos researchers have identified cyberscammers and malware operators abusing Google Forms:
Phishing: Despite the fact that Google warns users on every page of a form not to enter password details, Sophos found several examples where attackers tried to convince potential victims to enter their credentials into a Google Form laid out to resemble a login page. These forms were often tied to malicious spam campaigns.
Malicious spam campaigns: One of the largest sources of Google Forms links in spam were “unsubscribe” links in scam-related marketing emails. Sophos has intercepted a number of spam-based phising campaigns that targeted Microsoft online accounts, including Office365. The spam claimed that recipients’ email accounts were about to be shut down if they were not immediately verified, and offered a link to a Google Form that asked the user to enter their Microsoft credentials. These Google Forms pages were decorated with Microsoft graphics but, still, clearly a Google Form.
Payment card data theft: Entry-level scammers use Google Forms’ ready-made design templates to attempt to steal payment data through faked “secure” e-commerce pages.
Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs), such as adware: The researchers discovered a number of PUAs targeting Windows users. These apps use Google Forms pages surreptitiously, with the web requests collected and submitted to forms automatically without any need for user interaction.
Fake user interfaces for malicious Android apps: Sophos found some malicious Android applications that made use of Google Forms to capture data without having to code a back-end website. Most of these were adware or PUAs. For instance, the researchers found “SnapTube,” a video app that generates revenue for the developer through web advertising fraud and which includes a Google Forms page for user feedback.
Data removal: The researchers uncovered a number of more sophisticated threats abusing Google Forms. This included malicious Windows applications that used web requests to Google Forms pages to ‘push’ stolen data from computers to a Google spreadheet via Google Forms.
Part of the wider malicious cyberattack infrastructure: Sophos telemetry has detected a number of PowerShell scripts interacting with Google Forms. We were able to prototype how PowerShell scripts could be used to scrape Windows profiling data from a computer and submit it to a Google Forms form automatically.
“Google frequently shuts down accounts associated with a mass abuse of applications, including Google Forms,” said Gallagher. “However, the kind of low-volume, targeted use of Forms by some malware could stay under the radar. Business defenders need to be alert to this threat and apply caution whenever they see links to Google Forms, or any other legitimate services trying to obtain credentials, and they should not inherently trust TLS traffic to ‘known good’ domains such as docs.google.com.”
Sophos products, including Intercept X for endpoints, defend against most malicious spam that carry forms-based phishing campaigns and detect the behaviors of system information collection discussed in the new research.
Sophos also advises consumers to install a security solution, such as Sophos Home, on the devices that they and their families use for online communications and gaming to protect everyone from malware and cyberthreats.
Legend Internet Plc has reported a loss for the six months ended January 31, 2026, as rising operating costs and finance charges weighed on earnings, according to its latest management financial statements filed on the NGX platform.
The company posted revenue of N505.36 million for the period, down from N622.64 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, reflecting a contraction in topline performance.
Despite generating a gross profit of N322.99 million, Legend Internet’s profitability was eroded by elevated administrative expenses, which surged significantly to N457.62 million from N166.78 million in the prior year.
This drove the company to an operating loss of N134.63 million, compared to an operating profit of N244.55 million a year earlier.
Finance costs further pressured the bottom line, rising to N64.71 million, while interest income provided only a limited offset.
Consequently, the company recorded a loss after tax of N99.34 million, a sharp reversal from the N239.85 million profit posted in the same period of 2025.
Earnings per share also declined into negative territory, closing at a loss of 11 kobo compared with earnings of 12 kobo in the prior period.
A review of the company’s financial position showed total assets increased to N3.45 billion as of January 2026, up from N3.21 billion in July 2025, driven largely by growth in cash and cash equivalents and receivables.
However, shareholders’ funds weakened to N2.55 billion from N2.80 billion, reflecting the impact of the reported loss and dividend payments.
Cash flow analysis indicates that net cash used in operating activities stood at N237.48 million, highlighting liquidity pressure in the core business.
This was partially offset by financing inflows, including loans, which helped lift cash balances during the period.
Further breakdown showed personnel costs rose markedly to N153.50 million, underscoring increased staff-related expenses, while depreciation and amortisation charges remained significant due to ongoing investments in network infrastructure.
The results underlined the pressure on smaller telecom and internet service providers navigating high operating costs, currency volatility, and infrastructure demands within Nigeria’s competitive digital services market.
Airtel Africa has emerged as the standout large-cap performer on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), recording a 10 per cent gain in a single trading week and reinforcing its position as one of Africa’s most resilient and valuable telecommunications companies.
The telecoms giant closed the week at ₦3,655.70 per share, up from ₦3,323.40, making it one of the strongest contributors to market performance during a period characterised by selective investor activity and sector rotation.
The strong performance reflects growing investor confidence in Airtel Africa’s business fundamentals, diversified revenue streams, and long-term growth strategy. Analysts note that the company continues to attract attention from investors seeking stable, high-quality stocks capable of delivering sustainable value despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties.
Unlike many of the week’s gainers, whose performance was largely driven by speculative trading and short-term market positioning, Airtel Africa’s rise was underpinned by confidence in its operational strength and strategic importance within the telecommunications sector.
Market watchers have identified Airtel Africa as a preferred investment destination due to its strong earnings profile, extensive regional footprint, and exposure to foreign currency-linked revenue streams. These factors have helped position the company as a key stabiliser within the NGX, particularly at a time when investors are increasingly selective in deploying capital.
The company’s performance also highlights the growing importance of telecommunications firms in driving economic growth and digital transformation across Africa. Through continued investments in network expansion, digital services, enterprise solutions, and financial inclusion initiatives, Airtel Africa remains at the forefront of enabling connectivity and economic opportunity for millions of people across the continent.
Beyond its stock market performance, Airtel Africa continues to strengthen its position through investments in digital infrastructure, mobile financial services, and technology-driven solutions that support businesses, governments, and communities. These initiatives have become increasingly important as demand for connectivity and digital services continues to accelerate across Africa.
Airtel Africa’s latest performance underscores confidence in the company’s long-term prospects and its ability to create sustainable value for shareholders. The milestone also reflects the market’s recognition of Airtel Africa’s role in shaping Africa’s digital future through innovation, connectivity, and inclusive growth.
With telecommunications remaining a critical enabler of economic development, Airtel Africa’s strong showing on the NGX serves as another indicator of the company’s continued momentum and leadership within the sector.
Several leading social media companies have agreed to pay approximately 27 million dollars to settle a lawsuit filed by a school district in the United States over claims that their platforms contributed to a student mental health crisis.
Court documents reviewed by AFP showed that the settlement involved major technology firms, including Meta, Snap, ByteDance and Google.
Under the agreement, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will pay nine million dollars, while Snap, owner of Snapchat, and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, will each contribute eight million dollars.
Google, whose products include YouTube, will pay about two million dollars in cash and provide educational training and software licences valued at about 900,000 dollars.
The lawsuit was filed by the Breathitt County School District in Kentucky, a rural district whose case was selected as a test case among more than 1,200 similar lawsuits brought by school districts across the United States.
The district had sought more than 60 million dollars to fund a 15-year mental health programme and address the alleged effects of social media use on students, including sleep disorders, emotional distress and interpersonal conflicts.
The case was scheduled to proceed to trial later this month in Oakland, California, before the companies opted to settle.
As part of its contribution, Google will provide professional development support, licences for its artificial intelligence education software, a social-emotional learning programme and technical assistance for educational tools.
The settlement agreements do not include any admission of wrongdoing by the companies.
Legal analysts say the development could increase pressure on the firms to resolve other pending cases involving similar allegations.
The lawsuits are being overseen by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Federal Court in Oakland, California.
The settlement comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms over their impact on young users.
In March, a Los Angeles jury reportedly found Meta and Google liable in a case involving claims about the addictive nature of Instagram and YouTube.
During the same period, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay 375 million dollars in damages in a case alleging that minors were exposed to inappropriate content and online predators.
In addition, more than 30 U.S. states are pursuing separate legal action against Meta over related social media concerns, with that case expected to proceed to trial later this year.
Observers say the latest settlement underscores increasing concerns among educators, parents and policymakers about the influence of social media platforms on the well-being of children and teenagers.
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