TraceX Labs Report Examines Google Apps Script Abuse Across Phishing, Malware, SEO ...

TraceX Labs Report Examines Google Apps Script Abuse Across Phishing, Malware, SEO Spam and CSAM-Related Infrastructure

TraceX Labs has published a new threat intelligence report examining the abuse of Google Apps Script Web Apps in phishing, fraud, malware distribution, SEO manipulation, spam, malicious redirection and several other categories of online abuse.

The report, titled “Abuse of Google Apps Script Web Apps for Phishing, Fraud, Malware Distribution, SEO Manipulation, Spam, CSAM/CSE-Related Abuse and Malicious Redirection,” was published on September 30, 2026, as report GLOBAL-026 . TraceX Labs has classified the overall threat assessment as high.

How Google Apps Script can become part of abuse infrastructure

Google Apps Script is a legitimate cloud platform used to build web applications, automate workflows and interact with Google services. Its Web Apps can receive HTTP requests, process parameters, generate HTML and communicate with external resources.

According to TraceX Labs, these capabilities can also be incorporated into malicious or abusive campaigns. A user may encounter an Apps Script URL through a engine, social media post, email or messaging service and then be redirected to another website, landing page or external resource.

The report does not characterize Google Apps Script itself as malicious. Instead, it examines how legitimate cloud infrastructure can potentially be abused by third parties.

Phishing, fraud and credential theft

The report covers phishing and several forms of online fraud, including credential harvesting, investment scams, employment scams, fake payment activity, impersonation and social engineering.

In these scenarios, an Apps Script Web App may act as an intermediate page, landing page or redirector before a victim reaches external infrastructure.

TraceX Labs also examined malicious Android APK distribution and malware delivery. The report notes that malware classifications should be supported by malware analysis or reliable reputation intelligence rather than being based solely on the fact that a file or page is associated with Google Apps Script.

SEO manipulation, doorway pages and spam

A significant part of the research focuses on the use of cloud-hosted infrastructure for manipulation.

TraceX Labs identifies keyword-heavy landing pages, doorway pages, automatically generated content, repeated templates, unrelated keywords, large numbers of outbound links and redirect chains as indicators that may warrant further investigation.

Where infrastructure is deliberately used to manipulate visibility, the report notes that the activity may correspond to MITRE ATT&CK T1608.006, SEO Poisoning .

The report also covers Google and video spam, backlink manipulation and other forms of -engine abuse.

Malware and malicious Android APK distribution

Another area examined by TraceX Labs is malware distribution through Apps Script-linked infrastructure.

The report describes cases involving Android APK distribution and recommends correlating suspicious downloads with file hashes, reputation information, endpoint activity and destination infrastructure.

A Google-hosted URL alone is not considered sufficient evidence that a downloaded file is malicious. The report instead recommends technical validation and correlation before classification.

Gambling, drug-related and piracy spam

The research also identifies campaigns involving gambling and betting spam , drug-related spam and movie-piracy-related activity .

TraceX Labs notes that the appearance of gambling, drug or piracy-related keywords does not automatically establish cybercrime. Investigators need to examine the surrounding content, behaviour, destinations and campaign relationships before reaching a classification.

The report documents the use of Apps Script-related infrastructure in adult and NSFW spam .

These campaigns may overlap with manipulation, redirects and other forms of unwanted content distribution. TraceX Labs treats these categories separately from other abuse types and recommends contextual validation rather than relying on isolated keywords or URLs.

NCII and sextortion-related abuse

The report also identifies non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) and sextortion as separate investigative categories.

TraceX Labs classifies these areas as highly sensitive and recommends careful evidence handling. The report emphasizes that investigators should avoid unnecessary downloading, reproduction or redistribution of sensitive material during research and reporting.

Suspected CSAM/CSE-related infrastructure

One of the most sensitive sections of the report concerns suspected CSAM/CSE-related infrastructure .

TraceX Labs explicitly classifies this finding as “Suspected / Corroboration Required” rather than presenting it as conclusively established. The report calls for additional evidence and heightened handling procedures for such cases.

The report further advises researchers not to unnecessarily download, reproduce or redistribute suspected illegal material. Public threat reporting should use appropriately redacted evidence where necessary.

Deepfake and synthetic-media spam

TraceX Labs also examined deepfake and synthetic-media-related spam .

The report classifies such activity as requiring contextual validation. The presence of synthetic or manipulated media alone does not establish the purpose of a campaign, making correlation with associated URLs, redirects, infrastructure and distribution patterns important during investigation.

Malicious redirection

Redirect infrastructure is another recurring theme in the report.

An Apps Script Web App can potentially serve as an intermediate point before a user is sent to an external destination. TraceX Labs recommends examining the complete redirect chain rather than stopping the investigation at the Google-hosted URL.

The final destination may provide additional information phishing pages, malware downloads, scams or other forms of abuse.

A Google URL does not guarantee safe content

The report emphasizes that the reputation of the hosting provider should not be treated as a security verdict.

A Google-owned URL does not establish that Google created or endorsed the content, operates the final destination or considers linked external infrastructure trustworthy. Similarly, HTTPS indicates encrypted communication but does not establish that the underlying content is legitimate.

This distinction is important for security teams because legitimate cloud services can be abused without implying that the service itself is malicious.

How security teams can detect Apps Script abuse

TraceX Labs recommends combining URL, network and endpoint evidence during investigations.

At the URL layer, analysts can examine suspicious Apps Script URLs, unusual parameters, repeated deployment identifiers and known malicious destinations. Web proxy data can then be used to identify redirect chains, final destinations, downloaded files and MIME types.

Endpoint telemetry can provide additional evidence, including unexpected APK downloads, suspicious file execution, browser-originated downloads and credential-submission activity.

The report recommends correlating:

IP addresses and ASNs

Related campaign infrastructure

This approach can help analysts identify connections between seemingly separate URLs and campaigns.

TraceX Labs calls for evidence-based classification

The report uses classifications including Observed, Correlated, Suspected, Potential, Benign and Unknown .

TraceX Labs also cautions that screenshots, URLs or individual infrastructure indicators do not by themselves establish attribution, criminal intent, ownership or affiliation with Google. Infrastructure association should not automatically be interpreted as attribution to a particular individual or organization.

For sensitive categories such as CSAM/CSE, NCII and sextortion, the report recommends additional care in evidence collection and reporting.

Report maps activity to MITRE ATT&CK

The research maps potentially relevant activity to several MITRE ATT&CK techniques, including T1583.006 Web Services, T1583.007 Serverless, T1608.006 SEO Poisoning, T1608.001 Upload Malware and T1566.002 Phishing Link .

The report also notes that techniques such as T1102 Web Service and T1567 Exfiltration Over Web Service should only be applied when the required behaviour is actually observed.

TraceX Labs recommends a behaviour-based approach

The report concludes that cloud-hosted infrastructure requires a behaviour-based approach to threat intelligence.

TraceX Labs recommends the investigation model:

Discover ? Validate ? Correlate ? Classify ? Report

The final assessment states that Apps Script infrastructure may appear in campaigns involving SEO poisoning, spam and doorway pages, fraud and phishing, malware distribution, malicious redirection, adult and NSFW spam, NCII and sextortion, suspected CSAM/CSE-related infrastructure, gambling and betting, drug-related spam, deepfake and synthetic media, video- spam and movie-piracy-related activity.

The report stresses that Google Apps Script remains a legitimate platform , and that the presence of a Google-hosted URL should not by itself determine whether content or infrastructure is malicious. Instead, security teams should examine behaviour, content, destinations and relationships across the wider campaign. Report :

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