"My Site Got Hacked — Why Does Google Say My Ads Have Malware?"
Any site can get flagged for malware after being compromised, even if the business itself did nothing wrong.
What it means
Google prohibits promoting content that contains malware or unwanted software. This isn't limited to advertisers deliberately distributing harmful software — a legitimate site that's been hacked or compromised without the owner's knowledge can trigger the same flag, because the policy looks at what the destination actually serves visitors, not intent.
Why it matters
If ads suddenly get disapproved for malware and nothing about the ad or targeting changed, it's worth treating that as a real signal to check the site itself for a hack or compromise — not just a false positive to dispute.
ask datanephew
My ads got flagged for malware but I didn't add anything harmful — what should I check?
Datanephew can flag that the site's technical health looks off, but confirming and cleaning up an actual malware infection needs to happen with your hosting provider or a security scan — that's outside what datanephew can do directly.