{"id":2032,"date":"2013-05-02T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2013-05-02T14:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=2032"},"modified":"2013-05-02T10:00:27","modified_gmt":"2013-05-02T14:00:27","slug":"thank-you-for-not-viewing-hidden-display-ads-hurt-web-ad-networks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/05\/02\/thank-you-for-not-viewing-hidden-display-ads-hurt-web-ad-networks\/","title":{"rendered":"Thank you for not viewing: \u201cHidden\u201d display ads hurt Web ad networks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/tech-policy\/2013\/05\/thank-you-for-not-viewing-hidden-display-ads-hurt-web-ad-networks\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"786\" width=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/nccomputertech.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/3d-transparent-640x786.png?resize=640%2C786\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s more than one way to fleece people using Web advertising. Botnets have been harnessed to generate fake clicks by injecting fake links into search results and to click randomly on webpages the infected computer&#8217;s user never sees. But fraudsters are starting to get more sophisticated in their efforts to get rich off Web advertising.<br \/>\nAs Dr. Douglas de Jager, CEO of Spider.io, reported in a blog post today, fraudulent advertising networks are now acting as middlemen between advertising networks placing Web display ads and those stuffing whole hidden webpages of ads into ad slots on legitimate sites. Instead of using bots, this sort of ad fraud uses real humans to generate the traffic\u2014but it never actually shows them the ads that are served up to them.<br \/>\nDisplay advertising fraud targets ads that are paid for by pageview rather than by click. The use of real-time bidding to auction ad space on websites through exchanges such as Google&#8217;s DoubleClick Ad Exchange and Microsoft&#8217;s AdECN has made it possible for fraudulent ad traders to purchase an ad slot through one exchange and then sell it multiple times across others. They &#8220;fulfill&#8221; all those ads by putting them onto a webpage that gets served up within an ad slot on a legitimate site\u2014with most of its ads hidden from view.<br \/>\nBecause the page is &#8220;displayed&#8221; within the ad frame (again, even though the ads are invisible to the person viewing the page), the ads are often reported back as viewable to the advertiser, so the fraudulent ad trader gets paid for the impression. This works because some ad networks measure impressions based on whether an ad would be visible within the geometry of the Web browser rendering the page\u2014not based on whether it was in fact visible. The fraud can be scaled up dramatically by stacking multiple nested iframe elements within the page of ads, with ads of different dimensions piled on top of each other. As de Jager demonstrated, one entity currently selling hidden ad slots\u2014YieldZone.com\u2014 manages to stack 72 display ads into a hidden page, with 60 of them in position to be reported as &#8220;viewable&#8221; in a full-screen browser display.<br \/>\nWhile this is currently less of a problem than the botnet-based click and display fraud that Spider.io attributed to the Chameleon botnet, de Jager said that ad hiding affects at least two percent of the Web advertising in the US.<br \/>\nHidden ads can also potentially pose a security issue to visitors to the sites that end up delivering them by delivering malicious code in a frame that is concealed within an ad or is overlaid on a legitimate ad that users might click on. An example of another approach to hiding ads pointed to by de Jager is an invisible iframe that follows the user&#8217;s mouse and captures mouseclicks to redirect the user to another site. This could be used to launch malicious websites as well as for ad fraud.<br \/>\nvia <a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/tech-policy\/2013\/05\/thank-you-for-not-viewing-hidden-display-ads-hurt-web-ad-networks\/\" target=\"_blank\">Thank you for not viewing: \u201cHidden\u201d display ads hurt Web ad networks | Ars Technica<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s more than one way to fleece people using Web advertising. Botnets have been harnessed to generate fake clicks by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,8,10],"tags":[46,1017,1099],"class_list":["post-2032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-security","category-social-media","category-technology","tag-ads","tag-spyware","tag-tracking"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-wM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3094,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/08\/01\/report-facebook-looking-to-implement-tv-style-ads-directly-in-users-feeds\/","url_meta":{"origin":2032,"position":0},"title":"Report: Facebook looking to implement TV-style ads directly in users&#039; feeds","author":"NCCT","date":"August 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Good news everyone! All the complaining surrounding Facebook, its UI and its ads has finally had an effect on the company and they\u2019ve started listening to feedback and making changes. And by that we mean Facebook won\u2019t change anything and it will just serve you more intrusive ads. Yes you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Social Media&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Social Media","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/social-media\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/facebook-ad-640x462.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/facebook-ad-640x462.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/facebook-ad-640x462.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7570,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/02\/05\/malicious-advertisements-on-major-sites-compromised-many-many-pcs\/","url_meta":{"origin":2032,"position":1},"title":"Malicious advertisements on major sites compromised many, many PCs","author":"NCCT","date":"February 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Attackers who have slipped malicious advertisements onto major websites over the last month have potentially compromised large numbers of computers. Several security vendors have documented attacks involving malicious advertisements, which automatically redirect victims to other websites or pages that silently attack their computer and install malware. \u201cWe certainly see malvertising\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6401,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/09\/10\/comcast-wi-fi-serving-self-promotional-ads-via-javascript-injection\/","url_meta":{"origin":2032,"position":2},"title":"Comcast Wi-Fi serving self-promotional ads via JavaScript injection","author":"NCCT","date":"September 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Comcast has begun serving Comcast ads to devices connected to one of its 3.5 million publicly accessible Wi-Fi hotspots across the US. Comcast's decision to inject data into websites raises security concerns and arguably cuts to the core of the ongoing net neutrality debate. A Comcast spokesman told Ars the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/javascreener-640x74.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/javascreener-640x74.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/javascreener-640x74.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7946,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/04\/03\/five-percent-of-google-users-have-ad-injectors-installed\/","url_meta":{"origin":2032,"position":3},"title":"Five percent of Google users have ad injectors installed","author":"NCCT","date":"April 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Five percent of people that use Google\u2019s sites and services have at least one ad injector installed on their device according to a recent study conducted by Google in collaboration with researchers from the University of California, Berkeley. Within that group, Google found that half had at least two injectors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Software&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Software","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/software\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3197,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/08\/19\/malware-hijacks-mobile-ad-networks-to-siphon-money\/","url_meta":{"origin":2032,"position":4},"title":"Malware hijacks mobile ad networks to siphon money","author":"NCCT","date":"August 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Asian cybercriminals have figured out an unusual way to use the architecture of a mobile ad network to siphon money from their victims. The new method represents another step in the evolution of mobile malware, which is booming with more smartphones shipping than PCs. Mobile ad networks open up the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6452,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/09\/23\/fake-ad-making-the-rounds-on-social-media-claims-you-can-charge-your-iphone-in-a-microwave\/","url_meta":{"origin":2032,"position":5},"title":"Fake ad making the rounds on social media claims you can charge your iPhone in a microwave","author":"NCCT","date":"September 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you familiar with Apple Wave, the revolutionary new charging feature that\u2019s bundled with iOS 8? It uses microwave frequencies to charge your phone. All you need to do for a rapid recharge is place your iOS 8 device in a microwave for a minute and a half. Wait, what?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Apple&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2032\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}