Maintaining a clean and compliant ad supply chain is a constant battle. We have explored the increases in specific violations in Q1; in this edition, we explore the significant reductions in malvertising violations in the previous quarter. These decreases are a positive sign for website performance and user safety, proving that an automated monitoring solution like AdSecure and a proactive compliance team can effectively neutralize common threats to your platform’s integrity. It can also indicate what violations may see increases in the next quarter.
Decreases in User Security Threats in Q1
The most sophisticated attacks, those designed for data theft or resource hijacking, have seen the sharpest declines. These intrusive tactics that disrupt navigation or force unwanted actions are becoming less effective as detection technologies evolve. They are violations that affect your Google ranking and bounce rates.
Cryptocurrency Miner (-91.5%): Cryptojacking attempts have plummeted. This reduction prevents device overheating and preserves your site’s web content performance.
Uncommon Protocols (-83.1%): There has been a significant drop in attackers attempting to bypass non-standard network protocols to bypass security filters and exfiltrate data.
Malicious URL (Sucuri) (-47.7%): Malvertisers did not focus on planting dangerous payloads into campaign URLs in Q1.
Technical Hijacking & Intrusions
Auto-Download (-62.1%): Often called drive-by downloads, these high-severity threats are being caught before they can go live and force unwanted files onto user devices.
Back-Button Hijack (-43.3%): This violation would allow malvertisers to manipulate browser history. A reduction in this allows your users to navigate your site freely without being trapped by malicious loops.
JavaScript Dialog on Exit (-30.4%): There has been a reduction in attempts to add invasive pop-ups that appear when a user tries to leave a page, leading to a smoother, more professional user experience.
Redirection & Navigation Threats
Pop-up (-28.2%): Adding aggressive and deceptive windows has decreased in Q1, protecting your brand safety.
Auto-Redirect (-17.8%): A steady decline in scripts that force users to navigate away to third-party sites.
Advisory & Threat Intelligence Trends
The following User Advisory Violations are showing downward trends in attempts.
Malicious URL (VirusTotal) has seen a reduction of -12.6%.
Suspicious TLD: There were -6.4% fewer domains attempting to use top-level domains that are frequently associated with spam or phishing activities.
Malicious/Phishing Webrisk: We have observed a -5.7% continued stabilization of URLs flagged specifically by Google’s Webrisk (opens in a new tab) security service.
Conclusion: Stay Vigilant to Protect your Reputation
While these decreases are a testament to the power of ad security software, they are not a sign to lower your guard. Cybercriminals are adaptive; if we see a decrease in these violations in Q1, they may be on the rise in Q2.
To ensure your platform remains safe for your end users, you must continue to monitor your ad security with real-time malvertising prevention solutions like AdSecure. Contact our team to learn more, or start your free trial to see how easy it is to integrate AdSecure.
