WATCH40 in Action: Detecting a Google Ads Account Hack in Real Time

It started like any other day.

Paid Media teams at a media agency were juggling multiple client campaigns: fine-tuning strategies, setting up the next waves, doing their morning checks.

Everything looked normal. No overspend, no alerts, no visible issue.

Until suddenly, a notification popped up in WATCH40 on one client’s Google Ads account:

🚨 “Unusual overspend.”

🚨 “Unusual settings detected – non-compliant with account guidelines.”

🚨 “Unusual naming detected – non-compliant with account guidelines.”

Three alerts for a regular account. The fire was somewhere for sure.

The alert that changed everything

As soon as the anomaly was detected by WATCH40’s AI-powered system, a real-time alert was sent to the agency’s managers and directors.

At first glance, nothing seemed alarming. But behind the scenes, something far more dangerous was unfolding.

Thanks to WATCH40’s detailed insights, the team deep-dived into the suspected campaign and found a critical configuration change made through a third-party tech partner connected to the advertiser’s Google Ads account. All landing page redirections had been modified, and campaign budgets suddenly increased; clear signs of an active account takeover in progress.

A compromised partner login had been used to start taking control of the account.

The agency immediately contacted the advertiser, confirmed the suspicious email, and revoked access before any spend or campaigns were affected and crucially, before the hacker could remove the client’s admin rights. In parallel, the agency escalated the case directly to Google Support to lock the account and prevent further intrusion.

⏱️ Total response time: under 15 minutes

💰 Impact: no spend lost, no campaign hijacked, no data breach

From crisis to control

What could have turned into a nightmare, hijacked budgets, polluted campaigns, and brand damage, was stopped in time thanks to WATCH40’s real-time detection and the team’s swift action.

The root cause was later identified: a weak authentication procedure in a partner integration. This case is a sharp reminder that even paused or dormant accounts remain at risk, especially in complex ecosystems where multiple users, agencies, and partners are connected.

Hacks don’t always start with chaos; sometimes, they begin quietly, with a single settings update.

Why it matters

In digital advertising, every second counts. A single unauthorized change can burn through budgets, compromise performance, or expose sensitive data.

WATCH40 brings Digital Media Safety to life: ensuring that no account ever flies under the radar by detecting anomalies instantly, alerting the right people, and securing media investments, performance, and teams before harm is done.

Because real-time safety isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.