Blog on AdSecure | Malvertising Prevention & Ad Quality Solution

How Proactive Security Cleans the Ad Supply Chain

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reductions in malvertising activity are rarely accidental; they are the direct result of systematic monitoring, rapid mitigation, and enforced security standards. Q3 2026 data show significant declines across major violation categories, demonstrating how automated detection platforms like AdSecure help publishers and networks systematically dismantle threat vectors.

By enforcing automated compliance and real-time scanning rules, digital ad ecosystems can raise the cost of entry for bad actors and drive malicious campaigns off publisher platforms.

Violation Report Q3 2026: Why ad networks protect the supply chain

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In Q3 2026, bad actors dramatically shifted their delivery techniques, moving away from simple pop-ups toward aggressive automated exploits.

For modern ad networks and SSPs, protecting supply chain integrity isn’t just a quality compliance item; it is core risk management. In this article, we will see some of the most common violation attempts in Q3 2026. Integrating real-time ad security through automated monitoring platforms like AdSecure safeguards both network revenue and the end-user experience across every impression.

Maintaining a Clean Ad Supply Chain: Q2 2026 Violations Increase

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Maintaining a clean and compliant ad supply chain is a constant battle. In this edition, we explore the significant surges in malvertising violations that appeared in Q2 2026. These increases are a critical warning for website performance and user safety, proving that cybercriminals are constantly refining their tactics to bypass basic filters.

In this report, we break down the most alarming increases in ad violations. Understanding these threats is the first step toward building a clean and compliant ad supply chain and ensuring a high Google ranking through superior web content performance.

AdSecure with EXADS: One Integration, Full Campaign Protection

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

AdSecure now integrates directly with white-label ad serving platform EXADS (opens in a new tab), giving ad networks running on the EXADS platform a fully automated pipeline from violation detection to enforcement action — without any manual intervention.

What the integration does

Ad networks using EXADS can now connect their AdSecure account directly to their EXADS admin panel. Once connected, AdSecure continuously crawls advertiser campaigns — creatives, landing pages, and redirect chains — across a wide range of devices and GEOs, flagging violations in real time.

Violation Decrease: The Impact of Real-Time Malvertising Prevention

Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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.

AdSecure Violations Report: Keep your ad supply chain secure

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

AdSecure recently analyzed millions of real-time scans to identify the most significant shifts in the malvertising landscape. As cybercriminals refine their tactics, it is more important than ever for Publishers and Ad Networks to prioritize brand reputation and user safety.

Malvertising News: Malicious Claude Code Clones Deliver "Amatera" Infostealer

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Developers are the primary targets of a new malvertising campaign leveraging Google Ads (opens in a new tab) to distribute the Amatera infostealer (opens in a new tab). The attack took place on both Windows and macOS. By impersonating Anthropic’s “Claude Code” CLI tool, attackers are tricking technical users into executing malicious one-line installation commands that silently drain credentials and cryptocurrency wallets.

The InstallFix Attack

Researchers first identified the campaign on March 6, 2024. The attack utilizes a social engineering tactic known as InstallFix. This is an evolution of the “ClickFix” (opens in a new tab) method, where users are manipulated into manually running the malware on their own computers.

AdSecure Violations Report: Q4, 2025

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

AdSecure analyzed over 50 million violation scans conducted on client campaigns in Q4, 2025. In this article, we will explore six violations that increased in this quarter. So let’s dive in!

Number of violations per campaign

1 violation was detected across over 10 million scanned campaigns, a 20.6% increase compared to the number of campaigns scanned in Q3, 2025. Additionally, the number of campaigns with 2, 3, and 4 violations increased by 14.3%, 4.8%, and 3.2%, respectively.

Ad Security Trends and Threats for 2026!

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

It has been another big year for ad security breaches, malvertising, phishing, and crypto threats. Although we can never truly know what the future holds, looking at data and market influences, here are 4 ad security predictions for 2026. This article was originally posted by Martech Series. Check out the article here! (opens in a new tab)

Let’s start with AI

In 2025, we have seen AI become so realistic that people are having issues differentiating human-made content from AI, rage bait and disinformation continue to cloud people’s judgment and have increased, and deep fake technology has continued to advance. Our number one prediction for 2026 is that AI will be used to create more elaborate online scams.

Malvertising News: The Calendly phishing scam

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A large-scale phishing campaign is targeting Google Workspace and Facebook Business account users using highly convincing, fake Calendly-themed pages. More than 75 companies, including Disney, Unilever, Lego, Mastercard, and Uber. Read this article to learn more about how the Calendly phishing scam works and what you can do to protect against Malvertising scams like this.

How the Calendly phishing scam works

The primary goal of this scam is to take over business ad management accounts on platforms like Google and Facebook, which grant high privileges and access to large advertising budgets.

How to protect brands against common violations in user security, experience, and advisory

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

AdSecure analyzed over 43 million violation prevention scans conducted on client campaigns in Q3, 2025. In our last article, we uncovered the 10 largest increases in violation attempts in Q3; however, there was a large increase in malvertising attempts in quarter three across all violation types. In this article, we will explore seven more violations that increased in this quarter.

Let’s take a look at the most common violations in user security, experience, and advisory.

Most Common Malvertising Violations in Q3, 2025

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this edition of AdSecure’s Violations Report, we analyze Malvertising data collected from over 43 million prevention scans conducted on client campaigns. This data reveals how Malvertisers attempted to target websites and ad networks in Q3 2025. We will also discuss strategies to prevent these attacks from impacting your ad supply chain, ultimately safeguarding your online business and ensuring the safety of your end users. Read on to discover the most dangerous Malvertising trends from Q3 2025!

Major Cybersecurity Alert: Campaign Uses Trojan Malware to Steal PDF Editor Data

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Cybersecurity researchers have issued a major alert following the discovery of a sophisticated new campaign called TamperedChef. This malicious operation uses a trojanized version of the AppSuite PDF Editor to distribute malware, posing a significant risk to individuals, businesses, and government networks. In this article, we will learn about Trojan malware, what threat it poses to brands and end users, and how you can protect your ad network from these kinds of threats with AdSecure.

Macs Under Attack: The New Era of Malvertising and Information Stealers

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

For years, many believed that Apple’s macOS was a stronghold against digital threats, leading Mac users to feel overly secure. However, that perception has changed. A new and dangerous wave of cybercrime, characterized by advanced information-stealing malware and clever advertising scams specifically targeting Macs, has emerged. Between 2024 and 2025, there has been a dramatic increase in these threats, signaling a significant shift in the landscape of cybercrime.

From a Niche to a Prime Target

The old assumption that Macs were too small a target for cybercriminals is no longer valid. The growing market share of Apple computers in both homes and businesses has made them a high-value target. This new generation of attackers isn’t just porting old Windows malware; they are developing custom-built threats that understand and exploit the nuances of macOS. They know how AppleScript prompts work, how Gatekeeper security flows function, and how users tend to override warnings when a download “looks familiar enough.”

AdSecure’s Violations Report: Malvertising trends in Q2 2025

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The average cost of a data breach reached a staggering $4.88 million in 2024 (opens in a new tab), a 10% increase since the previous year. This shows that data breaches and Malvertising attempts are on the rise, and the cost to Publishers and website owners continues to increase. In this article, we will explore AdSecure’s Violations Report and analyze Malvertising data extracted from over 44 million Malvertising prevention scans run on client campaigns. With this data, you will discover how Malvertisers attacked websites and Ad Networks in Q2 2025. You will also learn how to prevent such attacks from affecting your ad supply chain, ultimately protecting your online business and your end users’ safety. Keep reading to learn about the most dangerous Malvertising trends that occurred in Q2 2025 and how to prevent ad violations!

Malvertisers Hijack user data from WordPress, Netflix, and Microsoft Support!

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Malvertising scams are becoming more sophisticated, with companies like WordPress (opens in a new tab), Netflix, and Microsoft being targeted. Read on to learn more about these scams and how to protect your end users from Malvertising scams.

Malvertising Campaign Hijacks WordPress Sites

A large-scale malvertising campaign is currently compromising outdated WordPress websites and delivering malware to millions of users. Threat actors are injecting malicious advertisements into these sites, often disguising them as fake software updates or browser error messages. This breach could affect all end users, as both Windows and macOS users are targeted. Many users unknowingly download what they think are legitimate updates, but these are actually data-stealing malware.

User Experience Violations: How to avoid a bad user experience online

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The online user experience is crucial for engaging and retaining users, and AdSecure detects violations related to cybercriminals exploiting the user experience. This includes all non-critical issues that can negatively impact user satisfaction and potentially drive users away from websites over time if not addressed. In this article, we will explore the threats to user experience that are continuing to decrease thanks to detection software like AdSecure. This software makes it harder for hackers to compromise websites and ad campaigns. If you’re a Publisher or an Ad Network interested in understanding how to avoid a bad user experience online, how cybercriminals disrupt the end user experience with malicious ads, keep reading!

Cybercriminals Using Trusted Google Domains to Spread Malicious Code

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Malvertising News! Cybercriminals are using trusted Google domains to spread malicious code, and a Vietnam-based hacking group is using fake AI video generator websites to spread malware. Read on for the full story on these scams and how to avoid them.

Cybercriminals use Trusted Google Domains to Spread Malicious Code

Cybercriminals are using a sophisticated malvertising scheme that turns legitimate e-commerce websites into phishing traps. The attack leverages Google API integrations, specifically exploiting the outdated JSONP (JSON with Padding) technique, to inject malicious scripts into trusted websites.

Top threats to User Security in Q2, 2025

Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Malvertising continues to be a threat to Publishers and Ad Networks that display external content and ads on their websites. In this blog, we will look at the top threats to User Security in Q2, 2025, explore what these threats mean for Ad Networks and Publishers, as well as discover how to ensure a secure online experience for end users.

What is User Security, and how does it affect Publishers?

User Security in antivirus software refers to the features and scans that protect individual users and their personal data on devices from various digital threats. This can include malware, like unauthorized access and data breaches. It’s very important as a Publisher or Ad Network to ensure you safeguard your brand against these types of threats, as failure to do so could create a negative view of your company.

Malvertising News: Hackers target end users with fake Crypto ads

Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Reputable cryptocurrency platforms are having their reputations tarnished by malvertising campaigns that use advanced evasion tactics and mass brand impersonation. This threat has posed a serious risk to brands and end users by deploying cleverly disguised front-end scripts and custom payloads on users’ devices, all under the guise of legitimate cryptocurrency platforms and influencers.

Here’s what we know

This Malvertising scam has recently been discovered, but it appears that Facebook users have been targeted by this Malvertising campaign for several months. Name brands like Binance, TradingView, and MetaMask have been affected by this breach, as well as celebrities’ likenesses being used in these campaigns to increase credibility. By mimicking well-known brands, the attackers drastically increase the odds that victims will click the malicious ads. Malvertisers also promised financial gains and cryptobonuses to the end users, similar to an actual advertising campaign, making the scam even more believable and increasing the number of potential victims.

How to block Fast Flux, Influencer Deepfakes and Gootloader scams

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this edition of AdSecure’s April Malvertising news, we will explore 3 different malicious online attacks targeting end users around the world. You will learn about Fast Flux attacks and how to prevent them, how Malvertisers targeted influencers in 2025, and how to steer clear of Gootloader attacks. Read to find out how to block Fast Flux, Influencer Deepfakes and Gootloader scams!

Resiliant Malware: Fast Flux attacks and how to prevent them

As reported by The Hacker News (opens in a new tab), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have issued a warning about cybercriminals utilizing “Fast Flux” techniques to distribute Malware. Fast Flux is a method where attackers frequently change the IP addresses associated with a domain name, making it challenging to trace and block malicious servers. This technique enhances the availability of command-and-control infrastructures, allowing Malvertisers to conduct malicious activities such as phishing and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks without being detected. Continue reading to find out about Fast Flux attacks and how to prevent them.

Dangerous Malvertising trends on Q1 2025 and how to stop them

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this edition of AdSecure’s Violations Report, we analyze Malvertising data extracted from over 37M Malvertising prevention scans run on client campaigns. With this data you will discover how Malvertisers attacked websites and Ad Networks in Q1 2025. You will also learn how to prevent such attacks from affecting your ad supply chain, ultimately protecting your online business and your end user’s safety. Keep reading to find out the most dangerous Malvertising trends on Q1 2025!

March Malvertising News: Github, Deepfakes and Facebook Malware

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This March, Malvertisers have been found out once again escalating their Github Deepfakes and Facebook Malware tactics: Targeting 1 Million Window users through illegal streaming sites; using Deepfake Twins and Romance Bots to mislead lonely people online and mimic employees’ personality to compromise businesses; and Facebook scams have increased by 12%! We tell you all about each scam and how to block it in your website or Ad Network in the following lines.

4 AI Malvertising tactics to be aware of in 2025

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The last few years, Malvertisers have been using AI to create sophisticated malicious attacks. Using GenAI to create powerful Spear Phishing, Scareware or Malware scams; Predictive AI Analytics to learn end user behavior and adjust tactics in real-time to circumvent detection software, ad blockers, and sandboxing techniques; malicious usage of AI-Powered Chatbots, Deepfakes and Voice Cloning techniques, and more. Keep reading this article to find out 4 AI Malvertising tactics to be aware of in 2025, and how to prevent them.

This is how cybercriminals bypassed ad security scans in February

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this edition of AdSecure’s Malvertising News we will explore 3 online threats that have targeted end users, ad supply chains and device operative systems across the globe. The first one of them was an undetected Malvertising campaign which endangered end users, left to run rampant for weeks without being detected thanks to its sophisticated redirection structure; the second one exploited Google ads to target Microsoft Advertising accounts; and the third one made MacOS devices vulnerable to dangerous Malvertising attacks. We tell you more about how cybercriminals bypassed ad security scans in February in the following lines:

How Malvertisers endangered user security in 2024

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In 2024 we scanned over 168M Advertiser campaign scans to keep Ad Network ad supply chains and Publisher websites safe. In order to bring you useful information to help understand how Malvertisers endangered user security in 2024, to help you block Malvertising attempts and protect user experience and online safety, we bring you the Violations Report 2024, where we analyse cybercriminal activity and throughout the year coming directly from our platform stats.

AdSecure’s January 2025 Malvertising News Update

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the first News update of the year: The January 2025 Malvertising News Update edition! Join us in exploring 3 different cybersecurity attacks targeting Google Advertisers, a new Malvertising technique called Double-Clickjacking, and how Mobile Malware campaigns target crypto platforms. Read to find out!

New Malvertiser attack targets Google Advertiser accounts: How to keep Advertiser accounts safe from fake Google attacks

First off on this January 2025 Malvertising News Update, a new malicious campaign is targeting Google’s advertising platform (opens in a new tab), posing a serious danger for the platform’s Advertisers, which makes it extremely necessary to find specialized software to keep Advertiser accounts safe from fake Google attacks. In order to launch the attacks, Malvertisers are using fake Google Ads login pages to steal the Advertisers’ credentials, which they then use to hijack their accounts.

Digital threat and ad security predictions for 2025

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article was originally published in MarTech series (opens in a new tab) on 10th January 2025 - In 2024 we have seen the evolution of powerful tech that continues to shape our corporate and personal lives. From AI tools designed to boost marketing strategy efficiency, to hybrid cloud infrastructure expanding corporate structures beyond geographical boundaries, there’s no telling what the ad tech industry will see in 2025. Or how will cybercriminals continue to exploit tech innovation to evolve their malicious tactics. From AdSecure, and based on 2024 trends, we bring you the top digital threat and ad security predictions for 2025.

This is how Malvertisers exploited ad vulnerabilities in November

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It is this time of the month again and our November ad security news update is here! For this past month we bring you 4 different ad security attacks that compromised the safety of end users on Google, eBay, QuickBooks, as well as impairing the reputation of White Hat hackers. We tell you all about it in the upcoming lines - Read on to find out how Malvertisers exploited ad vulnerabilities in November!

Top online Malvertising security risks registered in the UK, US and EU

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We have recently posted our Q3 2024 Violations Report, where we analyzed Malvertising trends for the quarter and compared them to the quarter before, worldwide. Our aim is to bring you useful insights to help you detect and anticipate potential Malvertising attacks on your Ad Network or website, keeping your ad supply chain clean at all times. To continue training you on what signs to be looking out for, on this occasion we focus on the top online Malvertising security risks registered in the UK, US and Tier 1 EU in Q3 2024. In this article you will find out how to detect and block online threats with security software, what the most popular ad violations have been for the 3 GEOs, and which ones have experienced the most steep increases, or decreases.

How to protect end user experience from bad ad quality and security threats

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Find out key Malvertising activity increases and ad violation category insights in this edition of AdSecure’s Violations report Q3 2024. We will analyze our data extracted from nearly 40K scans run throughout the quarter to bring you useful insights on what to keep an eye for in order to flag and block online threats and attacks attempts on your ad supply chain or website. Keep reading to find out how to protect end user experience from bad ad quality and security threats!

Latest new Malvertising methods by cybercriminals to spread Malware

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In the October edition of AdSecure’s Malvertising news update, we explore the 3 latest new Malvertising methods by cybercriminals to expand their malicious reach and spread Malware. By using technology like AI, cybercriminals who are new to the field or are less technologically advanced, are suddenly able to make up for missing skills like advanced coding. By breaking these tech barriers, they can then create and launch otherwise inaccessible Malvertising attacks, posing a new significant threat to online end users. Read this article to find out about 3 Malvertisers who used new tactics and file formats to launch their attacks, and how to prevent them with AdSecure!

How to protect my platform from User Experience advertising attacks

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

User experience online continues to be impaired by Malvertiser activity, being a great cause of concern for Ad Networks and Publishers globally. According to Capitol Technology University (opens in a new tab), when end users encounter security issues on a platform, their trust erodes, meaning that website Publishers and Ad Networks must prioritize security features to protect not only end users, but their own brand reputation. This is why AdSecure works hard to continue improving ad security tools and features: To help you protect your online business from malicious or poor quality ads. On top of that, and because we truly believe that information is key, we bring you our Violations Report series. If you are wondering, ‘How to protect my platform from User Experience advertising attacks?’, keep reading: In this article we bring you User Experience attacks detection increases comparing Q1 to Q2 2024.

September Malvertising News: 3 attacks that exploited Ad Network tools

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this edition of AdSecure’s September Malvertising News update, we explore 3 attacks that exploited Ad Network tools in order to target companies and end users across the world. These tools are used regularly by legitimate Advertisers, who can benefit from them through their Ad Networks and CRMs of choice, including AI, targeting, IP and Geolocation tools, link shorteners, CAPTCHA tech, Email ads, and more. Continue reading to find out how cybercriminals spread Malware, Ransomware and Phishing exploits, and how to prevent them from affecting your Ad Network or website with AdSecure!

News Update! How to detect Facebook and Google malicious ad campaigns

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this edition of AdSecure’s Malvertising news update we will take a look at 3 different malicious advertising approaches, all exploiting the vulnerabilities of popular advertising platforms such as Facebook and Google Ads. Some of them have remained undetected, running rogue for several years in a row, infecting end users’ devices and stealing their sensitive information, or even selling it to other malicious third parties. Read to find out about them, how to detect Facebook and Google malicious ad campaigns and how to prevent Ransomware and Scareware crimes with AdSecure, in order to protect end user information from Malvertiser attacks!

How Landing-page-error violations impact end user experience

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

According to our data gathered for the latest edition of AdSecure’s Violations Report Q2 2024, Landing-page-error was the top 1 in the top 10 detection ranking, amassing 18.90% of all violations detected during the quarter, worldwide. This detection can not only represent a security threat for the end user, but also seriously damage the reputation of the website where the ad with the compromised or broken link has been placed. In this article we tell you how Landing-page-error violations impact end user experience and how to detect landing page errors on an ad campaign:

Violations Report Q2 2024: Stop IAB Standards Ad Sizes violations

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this edition of AdSecure’s Violations Report Q2 2024, we analyze Malvertiser activity extracted from the nearly 60K scans run throughout the quarter. Our goal is to bring you useful insights on what to be on the lookout for in order to block Malicious Advertiser attempts on your Website or Ad Network’s ad supply chains. As it seems, bad actors this quarters displayed a strong focus on** IAB Standards Violations, which have made it to the Top 10 Violations ranking, and have experienced steep increases comparing Q2 with Q1 2024. Keep reading to find out what are standard IAB sizes,** the IAB standard terms and conditions for internet advertising, and how to stop IAB Standards Ad Sizes violations!

AdSecure Malvertising news update! Malware and Unwanted-programs Trojan attacks

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Malvertisers are constantly thinking of new harmful tactics to target unaware end users across the globe, taking them entirely by surprise, creating mMalicious Google ad campaigns with Unwanted-Programs and Malware. This is why at AdSecure we continuously work to improve our platform’s Ad Security tech to bring you, the best and most advanced tools. We also strive to create useful content to keep you up-to-date on news and developments in the Malvertising world.

How do US ads hijack my Back Button? Back-button-hijack in America

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

How do malicious redirect attacks affect US end users and why are Back-button-hijack attacks dangerous for US and users? According to a report on cybersecurity by USA Today (opens in a new tab), the cost of Malvertising in the US would reach a massive $9.5 trillion in 2024 and exceed $10.5 trillion in 2025. And in fact, in AdSecure’s Report on Malvertiser activity in the US vs in the EU for Q1 2024, we detected that 14.8% of all worldwide violations took place in the US. And the top 1 violation in this GEO was Back-button-hijack, constituting 26.8% of all violations country-wide, also a whooping 41.1% inside its own category, User Experience. So, what is a Back-button-hijack violation and why are such Malvertising attacks so popular in the US? Keep reading this article to find out how to answer the questions ‘How do US ads hijack my Back Button?’ and ‘How to prevent US Malvertisers hijacking browser back button’?

Recent Malvertising scams spreading Unwanted-programs & Ransomware

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Search engines are powerful tools which assist end users worldwide in finding exactly the content that they are looking for in a matter of seconds! Advertisers also benefit from these platforms, displaying highly targeted Google Ads to promote their services to the eager end user. Because these ads are based on search results, they are bound to spark the end user’s attention, making it more likely for the Advertiser to get conversions - It’s a win-win situation!

Malvertiser activity in the US vs the EU in Q1 2024

Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In Q1 2024 we examined worldwide Malvertiser trends to help you protect your online business and your end users against Malvertising attempts and bad ads. To continue giving you key insights to protect your ad supply chain, we want to show you in more detail what we discovered comparing the US and EU for the first quarter of the year. Malvertiser activity in the US vs the EU in Q1 2024 combined accounted for 32.8% of all violations detected worldwide during the first quarter of 2024, with 14.8% violations being detected in the US, and 17.9% in the EU. Digging deeper, we discovered several dangerous user security violations detected in the US and the EU, as well as several threats to end user experience that could seriously impair website revenues and metrics. Continue reading to find out how to protect your audiences against unsafe content in the EU and how to protect your online brand in the US against online threats!

Protect your brand: why comply with the IAB Standards?

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau (opens in a new tab)) Standards are a set of guidelines and best practices established to ensure consistency and quality in digital advertising. These standards cover many aspects of digital advertising, including ad formats and placements, ad measurement, and ad creatives. Following these standards helps ensure a better end user experience, and increased transparency, ensuring that you protect your brand reputation and that advertiser campaigns are effective at all times. AdSecure detected a 920.2% increase in IAB violations from Q4 of 2023 to Q1 of 2024 on average. Following the IAB Standards ensures that Networks create a compliant supply chain for an online business. In this article, we will answer the questions ‘How do I protect my brand against IAB violations?’, ‘How to improve my website’s performance following the IAB Standards?’ and ‘Why comply with the IAB Standards?’. We will also look into the percentage changes from 2023 to 2024 in the different IAB violations.

How to protect my website against Unwanted Programs

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The internet has two strongly contrasting sides. While it offers a lot of information, services, and entertainment, there can also be drawbacks that compromise the end user’s digital security. In this article, we will answer the question we will answer the question “How to protect my website against Unwanted Programs” and explore how to identify Malvertising in the form of Unwanted Programs, how they can tarnish an Ad Network or Publisher’s reputation, and how you can protect your brand and your end users from this and other Malvertising attempts with **AdSecure’**s real-time threat detection technology. Read on to learn more about this threat and how to eradicate it!

How to stop the 4 most dangerous Ad Security threats in 2024

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we published our latest edition of AdSecure’s Violations Report with MarTech. And, according to our scans run on client campaigns for the year, User Security Violations increased by 40.6% from 2022 to 2023! To help you keep your end users and online business safe, we continue giving you useful insights into Malvertising activity; on this occasion, we analyze the top 4 Ad Security Violation increases detected from 2022 to 2023, putting them under the magnifying glass to help you understand how they act, and how to stop them. Continue reading to find out how to stop the 4 most dangerous Ad Security threats in 2024:

Global malicious advertising trends and poor ad quality insights from 2023

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Recently, AdSecure’s Violations Report for the year 2023 was published in the Martech Series (opens in a new tab) by Customer Success Specialist Guandi Bai. Read this article to find out the top global malicious advertising trends and poor ad quality insights for 2023:

As we gaze into the future of ad tech in 2024, it is important to keep a strong focus on ad security which affects not only end users but the business reputation of Ad Networks, Programmatic ad exchanges and Publishers. Ad tech evolves rapidly with new technological advances which are also exploited by Malvertisers, who are malicious Advertisers who are constantly looking for new ways to target innocent online end users in order to try to take over their devices or defraud them with activity such as Scareware, Ransomware, Malware, Phishing, etc.

Protect end users from Ransomware as it reaches a new peak!

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

According to Digital Information World (opens in a new tab), in 2023, Ransomware hackers made more money than ever before, setting a new record and earning $1.1 billion! Which is a big increase from the $567 million they earned in 2022. In an increasingly interconnected digital landscape, the threat of Ransomware casts a formidable shadow over individuals, businesses, and organizations alike. As technology evolves, so do the methods used by cybercriminals, and Ransomware has emerged as one of the most damaging forms of Malvertising. Keep on reading to find out about the different types of Ransomware violations, how does Ransomware affect end users and how to protect end users from Ransomware.

Inside AdSecure: How clients scan for Malvertising

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

At AdSecure, we understand that the digital advertising landscape is constantly evolving, presenting both opportunities and challenges for advertisers and publishers alike. In this dynamic environment, staying one step ahead is crucial. That’s why it is a good idea to dive into our client’s scanning activities and explore how AdSecure’s cutting-edge technology empowers them to navigate the digital advertising space with confidence. In today’s article we explain to you how clients scan for Malvertising using AdSecure:

Q&A with Guandi: What is a Customer Success Team in ad safety

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In today’s competitive digital landscape, Customer Success has become a crucial aspect of driving growth and increasing company value. This is especially true when it comes to ad security products for online brands, since a great Customer Success Manager has got key information and useful advice on how to best utilize the platform to meet the brand’s security needs. At AdSecure we ensure your website or ad supply chain is protected from **Malvertising attempts **at all times. We have clients across the globe and believe that a key element to this wide reach is our client care provided by our Customer Success Managers. Are you an Ad Network or a Website Publisher looking for a great ad compliance platform with excellent Customer Success services? Are you wondering what a Customer Success Team is in ad safety? Read the following Q&A with AdSecure’s Customer Success Manager Guandi Bai: You will learn how she can help you make the most of our 360 Ad Security and Ad Quality platform, keeping your ad supply chain and end users safe at all times. With one of the best ad security platform with Customer Success

How AdSecure protects end users from New Year sales scams

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

2023 has come and gone and 2024 has rocked by bringing in the January sales season: Because we have all spent more money than usual buying Christmas presents for our loved ones, we are now looking forward to the discounts. Beware, though! It is also the perfect time for Malvertisers to get extra creative with their tactics: They know that end users are most likely looking for the best possible deals and the smallest prices, which means that they might not be as switched on at spotting unrealistic or fake offers as usual, creating the perfect opportunity to trick them into clicking Malicious links! Let’s have a look at the most popular eCommerce New Year sales scams and how to recognize Red Flags to spot Malvertising scams:

AdSecure’s Market Outlook: 4 Ad Security Predictions 2024

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Find out the top 4 Ad Security Predictions 2024: As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the landscape of digital advertising is set to undergo significant transformations in 2024. With these advancements, however, also come new challenges and risks. Advertisers, marketers, and tech enthusiasts alike must be prepared to navigate the complex world of ad security. At AdSecure we are committed to help Ad Networks and Publishers protect their online businesses and the end user - Not only with our 360 Malvertising Prevention and Ad Quality Solution, but also offering useful market insights and resources such as our quarterly Violation Reports. On this occasion, we will delve into significant forecasts regarding advertising security in 2024 and elaborate on strategies for industry participants to remain at the forefront.

Gambling fraud and Malvertising in Brazil in Q3 2023

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

After our latest AdSecure Violations Report for Q3 2023, in this article we delve into Gambling fraud and Malvertising in Brazil. Brazil is third in the world for Sports online Gambling, with 42.5 million unique users on Sports Betting websites alone, according to Euronews (opens in a new tab). In fact, the online Gambling and Sports Betting market in Brazil is so prolific that its revenue is projected to reach €1.49bn in 2023, according to Statista (opens in a new tab). This also sadly means that this is an especially attractive industry for malvertisers and cybercriminals, who expose the billions of end users who enjoy online gambling to bad quality or unsafe ads containing scams such as Phishing, Ransomware or Malicious URLs - According to AdSecure’s scans for Q3 2023, Brazil is the 6th country within the top 10 GEOs to experience the largest volumes of online threat detections, reporting **5.4% of all Malvertising attempts globally! **

What are Malicious Software Download threats and how to detect them with AdSecure?

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the ever-evolving landscape of the digital world, the internet has proven to be a double-edged sword. While it offers an abundance of information, services, and entertainment, it also harbors threats that can compromise your digital security - In fact, in AdSecure’s latest edition of the Violations Report for Q3 2023, we found out that almost 1 in 60 scans detected 4 or more violations in a malicious ad campaign! Among all of these threats, Malicious Software Downloads stand out as a severe and widespread danger for end users, Ad Networks and Website Publishers alike. This blog delves into the world of Malicious Software Downloads, exploring what are Malicious Software Downloads, how do Malicious Software Downloads work, and more importantly, how you can protect yourself from falling into their trap.

AdSecure Violations Report: Worldwide Malvertiser activity in Q3 2023

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Read this report to find out about worldwide malvertiser activity in Q3 2023 and learn how to protect end users against online threats! Are you looking to prevent bad quality ads affecting your website or are you wondering how to stop them damaging your online brand reputation? To help you we have run over 60 million scans to monitor client ad supply chains. In this edition of the AdSecure violations report Q3 2023, we will give you useful insights into malvertiser activity during the 3d quarter of the year. Our goal is to help you better understand cybercriminal behavior and how to stop bad actors from affecting your end users with AdSecure: Your best ally to monitor and protect your ad tech supply chain, stopping bad ads pre and post launch, in real time. Let’s take a look at malvertiser activity and trends in July to September 2023, and how this compares to Q2:

DMEXCO Industry trends digest: A shift in focus towards ad compliance and brand safety solutions

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The past 20th and 21st September, AdSecure, one of the top ad compliance and brand safety solutions, exhibited at DMEXCO in Cologne, Germany, along with our partner, white-label ad serving technology solution EXADS (opens in a new tab). DMEXCO is Europe’s leading digital marketing & tech event connecting players within the tech ecosystem across the world, which makes it a great context to catch up with industry trends, hearing them from the horse’s mouth, and continue being ahead of the game. One pleasant surprise is that, compared to what we observed during last year’s event, there’s now a much stronger focus on ad quality and safety, with more Ad Networks and Publishers partnering with ad compliance platforms in order to adhere to high standards and regulations, and promote brand safety. Also, Programmatic advertising continues to expand its market share aiming for the stars, and big players such as Google are starting to integrate Generative AI into their advertising and marketing technologies. Continue reading this year’s DMEXCO Industry trends digest to learn more!

AdSecure’s TAG Membership: Increasing trust and transparency in digital advertising

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the ever-evolving landscape of ad tech, ensuring brand safety and trustworthiness has become paramount to increasing trust and transparency in digital advertising- In fact, in our latest AdSecure Violation Report, we detected an increase of 55.1% in cybercriminal activity in quarter 2 2023! So, continuing to strengthen security measures to keep the end user safe is paramount and Ad Networks and Publishers alike, who strive to maintain the integrity of their campaigns, protect their reputation, and provide consumers with a secure and pleasant online experience. This is where the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) (opens in a new tab) steps in, setting rigorous standards and initiatives to combat ad fraud, malware, and other digital advertising challenges. AdSecure is a leading ad verification solution committed to fostering a safer digital advertising ecosystem and helping Ad Networks and Publishers with useful resources on how to protect their online brands against malvertising. As such, we are proud to continue being a member of TAG! Demonstrating our dedication to upholding the highest standards of transparency and accountability in the industry.

Malvertising trends in the UK in Q1 & Q2 2023

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

With ad security detections increasing in numbers year on year, malvertising continues to be a cause of concern for ad networks and publishers across the globe. This is why AdSecure strives to continuously optimize its ad security tools and features to continue to protect your online business for monetizing ads and end users, from malicious campaigns and poor quality advertising. And not only that, we also bring you up-to-date information about malvertising activity through our quarterly and yearly Violations Reports. This time, we are comparing malvertising trends in the UK from Q2 against Q1 2023.

Find out about EXADS and AdSecure’s ad compliance integration at DMEXCO

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The lack of ad compliance and bad quality ads are highly damaging for ad serving platforms and this is why AdSecure and EXADS have taken measures to prevent this from happening to EXADS clients. To get a better understanding of how platforms and the end users can be affected, let’s take a look at two possible scenarios:

In the first scenario, we consider an ad network, serving ads to their publisher network, without checking the ad campaign and landing page URLs before or after launch. Behind this campaign, we have a malicious advertiser who injected a code into the campaign, once he wins the bids for the publisher ad zones. Oblivious of this, the ad network allows the campaign to run. An end user clicks on the ad and is immediately served a pop up telling them their device is infected with viruses and locks access to the end user’s files on the device. The end user is asked for money in exchange for unlocking their device. This is called Scareware or Ransomware.

Forced cybercrime and trafficking in South East Asia

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

According to the latest United Nations Report online scam violations in South Asia (opens in a new tab), billions of dollars are being generated each year by gangs who coerce victims into committing cyber crimes globally! According to the report, hundreds of thousands of people in Asia have been trafficked and forced to work for online scamming operations across South East Asia. Most of these victims are migrants in vulnerable situations who face a range of human rights risks, however some countries’ nationals are also being targeted. These online scam operations are mainly rooted in the rise of online casinos and gambling pages in the South East Asian region during the Covid pandemic. Such pages are officially banned to varying extents in China, Cambodia, Thailand and Lao PDR, creating the right out of the law environment for cybercriminals to exploit victims using cryptocurrency fraud, illegal gambling and other online scam violations. To help you protect your online business and end users from these dangerous cybercriminal malvertising scams in South Asia, from AdSecure we bring you the top malvertising trends perpetuated by cyber criminals in South Asia in Q1 2023:

AdSecure is exhibiting at DMEXCO

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

AdSecure is exhibiting at DMEXCO (opens in a new tab)! DMEXCO is Europe’s leading digital marketing & tech event and AdSecure is exhibiting with our partner, white-label ad serving technology solution EXADS. The show is held in Cologne, Germany on September 20-21.

Meet with Customer Success Manager Guandi Bai on our stand in the Hall 07.1 | Stand F021 at the show.

Why meet with Guandi?

If you are an Ad Network or Publisher, with AdSecure’s 360-degree Malvertising Prevention and Ad Quality Solution you can**: **

Boost your ad quality with the AdSecure API Callback feature

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

As digital advertising continues to evolve, ensuring ad quality and brand safety has become a top priority for advertisers, publishers, and ad networks alike. In fact, according to the latest AdSecure Violations Report, there has been an increase of 55.1% in cybercriminal activity in quarter 2 2023! So, to combat the persistent threat of malicious ads and fraudulent activities, innovative ad safety and quality solutions are necessary. AdSecure’s powerful API Callback feature enables users to promptly detect violations upon scanning and swiftly halt campaigns. In this blog, we’ll delve into the world of AdSecure’s API Callback and explore how this tool empowers businesses to fortify their ad quality management efforts effectively and effortlessly, stopping any form of malicious advertising in its tracks before end users can be exposed to them. Continue reading this blog to find out what is the AdSecure API Callback feature, the benefits of the AdSecure API Callback feature, how to easily integrate AdSecure’s ad verification tools into your ad server, boost your ad quality and protect your online business against malvertising threats as you suspend malicious campaigns instantly with this useful tool!

How cybercriminal activity compares in the US vs China in Q2 2023

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

On July 28 2023 we released AdSecure’s Q2 Violations Report 2023 to provide you with useful insights about how malvertisers think and operate across the world. Now, to continue giving you key information to protect yourself and your brand against cybercriminals, we want to take you into an in-depth journey to what happened during the quarter in cybercriminal activity in the US vs China in Q2 2023. With a large population of 1.412 billion in China, of which 73.1% are Internet users, and 331.9 million in the US, of which 90.9% are also on the internet, it only makes sense that these 2 GEOs were heavily targeted by cybercriminals! However, whilst the focus is the same -To steal end user’s sensitive information to make money illegitimately, the targeting methodology varies from one location to the other, mainly based on each country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, which is a metric that measures a country’s economic output per person:

Malvertising Trends in April to June 2023 and Cybercriminal Activity: AdSecure Violation Report

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Wondering how to protect your online business against cyber criminals and IAB Standards violations? For this edition of the AdSecure violations report Q2 2023, we analyzed over 30 million scans of client ad campaign flows in order to monitor and protect your ad tech supply chain against user experience violations, IAB detections and other violations, and to bring you this report on cybercriminal trends April to June 2023, containing insights on IAB Standards violations April to June 2023 and User experience detections in Q2 2023 and more. Our goal is to give you useful insights into cybercriminal malvertising behavior. If you use AdSecure you will be prepared and ready to stop any form of malicious advertising in its tracks before it can damage your business and be exposed to end users. So, let’s have a look at malvertising trends in April to June 2023, and how this compares to Q1:

What you need to know about AdSecure's Digest Report: Monthly malvertising and ad quality report

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

If you are an AdSecure user, as you know, AdSecure provides an excellent level of customer support compared to other similar solutions, whether it is walking through newly released features or assisting with maximizing the usage of our product range to help you combat malvertising attacks and poor ad quality. In order to **make full use of AdSecure’s global data **and continue providing our clients with additional value, we’d like to introduce AdSecure’s monthly malvertising and ad quality report. Called **AdSecure’s Monthly Digest Report, **it is an in-depth overview of what is happening in your ad supply chain.

Latest Ransomware attacks in ad tech: How to stop Ransomware attacks with AdSecure

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

How does Ransomware affect end users? According to Techtarget (opens in a new tab), ‘Last year was a breakout year for Ransomware as the cybersecurity attack vector wreaked havoc on individuals and organizations around the world. It’s a trend that is likely to continue in 2023 and beyond.’ In fact, Ransomware is expected to cost the world $265 billion by 2031 (opens in a new tab), according to Cloudwards. Whilst not a new cybersecurity risk, Ransomware continues to pose a threat to online end users across the globe - Here are 3 of the latest 2023 Ransomware attacks in ad tech and across different industries:

Why is online brand safety important for online advertising?

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Why is online brand safety important? Cybersecurity continues to be a point of concern for online businesses across the world, as cybercriminals adapt and upgrade their malvertising attempts to continue spreading their criminal activity. To be more precise, statistics indicate that there are 2,200 cyberattacks per day (opens in a new tab), with one happening every 39 seconds on average. This means that there is big room for hackers to breach an ad network or publisher brand by injecting malvertising into the ad supply chain - Also, it is worth bearing in mind that poor quality ads can also directly affect the advertisers’ brand, because for instance, if the ad creative is squashed or too heavy to show, ait can end up being blocked by Google. As malvertising trends keep evolving and growing overtime, so does the demand for security monitoring to maintain online brand safety.

What are Auto Downloads? How they can damage your online reputation with Android users

Tue, 30 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, Auto Downloads, and malicious APK files pose significant threats to our digital security. These covert dangers, distributed by bad actors via malvertising lurk within unsuspecting websites, apps, and online interactions, putting users at risk of malware infections, data breaches, and other cyber threats. Understanding the risks associated with Auto Downloads and malicious APK files is essential for safeguarding our devices and personal information. In this article, we will explain the danger of malicious Auto Downloads for Android devices and malicious PUA/APK Files.

How malvertising trends compare in the US vs South Asia in Q1 2023

Thu, 18 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In April 2023 we examined Malvertising Trends for Q1 to provide ad networks and publishers with useful insights into how malvertisers operate around the world. Now, to continue giving you key information and tools to increase ad security in order to protect your end user against bad ads, we want to show you more in detail what we discovered with USA malvertising trends and South Asia malvertising trends during this same period. The latest USA cyber criminal activity and the latest South Asian cyber criminal activity, accounted for 28.5% of all violations detected during the first quarter of 2023, with 12.7% detections being from the US, and 15.8% from South Asia.

Q1 2023 Malvertising Trends

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

What makes AdSecure the best malvertising detection solution for ad networks and publishers? Not only the large amount of malvertising and ad quality detections using the latest crawler technology, but also its annual Violation Reports. AdSecure also examines specific quarters to see what the latest malvertising trends are along with any data on malicious Cybercriminal activity in the online advertising space.

Malvertising is the scourge of the online advertising ecosystem. It negatively affects the ad networks that serve the malicious advertising campaigns for not checking campaigns before launch and also while active for hidden code and violations. It affects the publisher sites that display the malicious ads on their websites, damaging their reputation with end users and also exposing their end users to dangerous and fraudulent activities. And finally, it affects the end user who may have their personal and financial data compromised, their devices may be damaged or hijacked without them even being aware of malicious programs and more. This is why AdSecure is the best malvertising detection solution for ad networks and publishers. We keep our clients up to date on malvertising trends and strategies, so our clients are prepared and ready to stop any form of malicious advertising in its tracks before it can be exposed to end users.

How Cybercriminals attacked mobile users in Q1 2023

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Mobile continues to grow in dominance as the device that generates the most internet traffic. According to Oberlo (opens in a new tab), in February 2023, 60.67% of all web traffic came through smartphones. Cybercriminals know this too and will target malvertising at mobile websites just as much as desktop websites. The question is, how to protect mobile advertising from cybercriminals? And how do Cybercriminals attack mobile users? AdSecure examined violation detection data during Q1 2023. It found that mobile advertising violation detections stood at 46.7% and desktop violation detections at 53.3%. Let’s take a closer look to see the many different tactics used to target malicious advertising at mobile devices.

Publishers! How to monitor your ad inventory with the Ad Discovery feature

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

How can Publishers detect and stop malvertising?

Publishers often sell inventory directly to advertisers or through ad networks, and increasingly, inventory is sold through ad exchanges, which are intermediary marketplaces where advertisers can bid on inventory in real time as a publisher makes it available to them. A real-time bidding (RTB) system for programmatic advertising is naturally involved in this process. Are you a publisher that wants to learn how to monitor your ad inventory to avoid bad quality or dangerous ads? From AdSecure, we bring you the best solution to protect publishers from malvertising, Ad Discovery feature - Keep on reading to learn more!

Update! New Devices added for mobile advertising ad security

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We are happy to share some great news with you! The AdSecure team is always working hard on improving our product features and quality of our solutions as well as creating the best customer experience for our clients. In order to keep our service level as high as possible and expand on mobile advertising ad security features, we’ve updated our device list and added some of the most commonly used mobile devices in the digital marketplace today. Please feel free to review the list of new devices below and adjust your existing project settings accordingly if needed, in order to reinforce even further your project’s mobile advertising ad security.

Malvertising scams: Malware, Browser Locker and Scareware

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Further to AdSecure’s in depth Violations Report 2022, we took a deeper dive to evaluate 3 specific violations: Malware, Browser Locker and Scareware. In particular we looked at data for Q3 and Q4 of 2022 and the top 10 GEOs most targeted by cyber criminals with malicious ad campaigns for these three violations. Any publisher website allowing these specific violations to be exposed to end users will suffer damage to their online brand, therefore it is imperative to detect and remove these violations before any damage can be done. Let’s now look at the three violations data gathered by AdSecure for a deeper evaluation of these Malvertising scams

How to stop Back Button Hijack

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

According to AdSecure’s Violations report 2022, 18.9% of User Experience Violations were Back Button Hijack detections. The number of Back Button Hijack detections increased in Q1 2023 from Q4 2022 by +6.3% with Cybercriminals targeting Mobile 44.1% and Desktop 55.9%. But, what exactly is Back Button Hijack? In an era where we do most of our searches online, you have probably experienced this situation: You click on the back button of your browser in order to go back to the previous or original page that you were browsing, and instead of taking you back, you are trapped in a loop in the same page - and this page keeps reloading again and again! If you have indeed been in this confusing situation, then that means that your browser history has been hijacked!

Ad Security Alert! AdSecure's Violations Report 2022

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Ad security is vital for the online advertising ecosystem. In our annual Violations Report, AdSecure analyzed over 296 million scans of client ad campaign flows between 1st January to 31st December 2022. The results in this report bring you a historic outlook of data analysis for 2022 in the detection of malicious ads, malicious campaigns, cybercriminal malvertising behaviour ad compliance and poor ad quality. These findings provide many different insights including: When did they deliver their malvertising attacks? Which quarters were impacted most by specific violations? What were their malicious tools of choice? What did AdSecure’s detections reveal? What GEOs suffered from higher malvertising activity?

The damage Malvertising can do to your online brand reputation

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Bad Trustpilot reviews, word of mouth, social media viral rants, bad press, loss of revenues, Google penalizations… A true business reputation nightmare that can easily be triggered by Malvertising! Keeping a great online brand reputation is important to reach new customers and keep them loyal to the brand. Also, customers are ready to pay premium prices for companies that have built a strong, honest and trustworthy reputation. For online companies this translates into putting online brand safety on top of the priority list: Whether you are an ad platform, advertiser or website publisher, this means avoiding associating your brand with dangerous, inappropriate, unsavory, or irrelevant web content, making sure to promote ad security and quality according to the IAB Standards (opens in a new tab), as well as a satisfactory and undisrupted user experience, at all times.

Digital threat and ad security predictions for 2023

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

2022 witnessed some major global events - intensified war in Ukraine, rising global prices, the energy crisis, the Olympic games and World Cup… All of us are trying to learn new things and gain experiences from big or small things happening around the world, especially in this digital age. No one can truly predict what 2023 will bring but here at AdSecure, we wanted to share with you some of our ad security and digital threat predictions for 2023.

Protect your online business! The Importance of Brand Safety

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A strong and trustworthy brand is one of the most important assets that a business can own. That means that online brand safety is definitely a topic that all digital internet based companies should have at the top of their priority list. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (opens in a new tab) (IAB), brand safety is defined as keeping brand reputation safe when the brand is advertised online. This means avoiding placing their ads next to inappropriate, unsavory, or irrelevant web content, making sure to promote ad security and quality, as well as a satisfactory and undisrupted user experience, at all times.

AdSecure Violation: What Is a Malicious URL?

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Malicious URLs are inserted into ads with the intent of hosting all kinds of unsolicited content such as spam, phishing, and drive-by exploits. Like other kinds of malvertisements, a Malicious URL is designed to lure unsuspecting users to scam sites, which can lead to serious issues such as monetary loss, theft of sensitive information, and the appearance of malware. At first sight, Malicious URLs can look like legit landing page URLs intended to be a part of an ad’s sales funnel. They can go completely undetected by ad platforms and publishers, representing a real threat for the end user.

What is Malvertising? And how to stop it

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Contents:

What is Malvertising?

Many platforms in the ad tech industry have an idea about the most dangerous forms of Malvertising, but many don’t realize the extent of how many variations of malicious ads that cybercriminals have at their disposal. In this blog post we explain everything you need to know about this damaging activity that can ruin the reputations of ad serving platforms and the publisher websites the malicious ads are distributed on.

How to prevent malvertising with AdSecure’s new RTB Integration

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

How to prevent malvertising in the programmatic advertising ecosystem. This is a common question from ad servers and publishers. Now it is possible with AdSecure’s 360 degree monitoring and protection from malvertising and poor quality ads is now available for programmatic ad servers and publishers in order to detect and prevent malvertising, non-compliant and poor quality ads for safe programmatic ad serving.

How to prevent malvertising: Clean Programmatic Advertising

According to Economic Times (opens in a new tab), programmatic now makes up 72% of all digital display advertising, and this percentage is expected to continue to grow over the forthcoming years. Among several types of programmatic media buying, Real-time bidding (RTB) (opens in a new tab), also known as open auction or open marketplace, is now one of the most popular within the ad tech industry. However it is also subject to cyber criminals injecting malicious ad campaigns into the RTB supply chain putting publishers and end users at risk from potential threats. Additionally allowing non compliant and low quality ads to be shown on publisher sites.

DMEXCO Report: The need to highlight the importance of ad compliance

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

DMEXCO (opens in a new tab), Europe’s leading digital marketing & tech event, took place in Cologne on 21th and 22th of September. AdSecure was thrilled to be exhibiting at the event, catching up with industry trends and having great conversations about Ad Tech with other exhibitors and visitors. One of the main issues we discovered was the lack seeing the importance of a robust ad compliance solution, so in this special DMEXCO report, we are going to share with you 4 key insights we learned at DMEXCO:

Tech Support Scams increase as global prices soar

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

With the rise of global prices this year, AdSecure is detecting more and more tech support scams as Malvertisers ramp up their activities.

As consumers are spending more and more money on necessities such as food and energy, disposable income has shrunk, leading to consumers spending less on non-essential purchases such as eCommerce, entertainment, subscriptions and digital goods. This economic fluctuation has significantly affected the revenue of many advertisers who promote classic offers such as dating, cryptocurrency or financial investment verticals, which used to generate good profits. But now there are less end users signing up for such services due to the aforementioned lower consumption ability. This has led unscrupulous advertisers to look for other means in order to generate income and one of those activities is via Tech Support scams.

Threat Intelligence: AdSecure’s URL security checker

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The AdSecure Threat Intelligence service acts as the first line of defense against cybersecurity risks in Ad campaigns, giving compliance teams valuable information about a URLs’ behavior before campaigns are launched. This system assesses specific URLs to test them against malicious activity. Once the assessment is done, it will provide a risk assessment score containing insights on potential threats to be dealt with in order to protect the end user.

How does the EU compare to the US for ad security in 2022?

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In July 2022 we released AdSecure’s Q1 & Q2 Violations Report 2022, to provide insights into how cyber criminals operate, globally. To give advertisers and publishers further tools to protect end users against malicious ads and increase ad security, we want to show you more in detail what we discovered in the EU and the US during this period. Both geolocations accounted for 40% of all violations detected during the first 2 quarters of 2022, with 30.9% detections being from the EU, and 9.2% from the US.

Detection of Malicious Ad Campaigns: AdSecure releases Q1 & Q2 Violations Report 2022

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

To show you the extent of how end users and ad serving platforms are at risk from Cybercriminals malicious ad campaigns affecting adsecurity and ad quality, here is AdSecure’s Violations Report for Q1 & Q2 of 2022. AdSecure analyzed over 100 million scans between 1st January to 30th June 2022. These findings provide insights into cyber criminal behavior during Q1 & Q2: What were their malicious weapons of choice? In what GEOs were Malvertising trends located? What did AdSecure’s detections reveal in order to stop and protect end users from malicious ads?

What is Ad Cloaking? Learn how to detect and eliminate it

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Ad Cloaking is the practice of showing different content or URLs to end users and to ad scanning tools or search engines. Ad Cloaking is considered a deceptive form of advertising, and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. A Cloaked Ad can hide from ad scanning tools or manual compliance checks,** and can go **completely undetected by ad platforms and publishers, representing a real threat for the end user.

How does Ad Cloaking work?

Malvertisers use ad cloaking to hide bad ads from scanning environments and security tools. Cloakers manipulate the code in order to hide non-compliant content aimed at the end user, providing ad servers with fake creatives and landing pages. These then completely change appearance and behavior at delivery time, to display clickbaity or “fake news” content (for example, “celebrity in crisis” style ads) which then leads to landing pages displaying non-compliant offers or fraudulent transactions, often riddled with phishing or malware.

Brand new AdSecure detection: Keyword-Crypto!

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

With the rapid growth of crypto currencies over the past few years, it has drawn increasing attention from the public and investors worldwide. 2021 saw the crypto market boom, and it gave marketers a great opportunity to promote cryptocurrency campaigns and gain high profits. Despite its immense popularity, cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and can be risky for traders who don’t have proper understanding about the crypto market and its risks. However, Cryptocurrency is an extremely attractive vertical for advertisers and affiliates to push to consumers. But also, many are using fake offers or non-compliant ads to push these offers. Therefore, AdSecure has released a new detection to help publishers and ad networks identify crypto ads and check for compliance: Keyword - Crypto Violation.

URL Phishing attack: Google WebRisk user security threat

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A phishing attack is a user security violation which targets a user to trick them into revealing personal, sensitive information (for example, passwords, phone numbers, or credit cards). There are several kinds of phishing. Users can be contacted by email, telephone, text message, or malicious URLs. The content of a Phishing site pretends to act, or looks and feels, like a trusted entity — a browser, operating system, bank, or government. This AdSecure detection is based on Phishing URL violations from Google WebRisk.

Cryptojacking and How to Protect End Users

Mon, 23 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Cryptojacking or Drive-by mining is a User Security violation detected (opens in a new tab) by Adsecure that Malvertisers use to take over an end user’s device to secretly mine different cryptocurrencies through their browser. It is designed to stay completely hidden from them, stealing their bandwidth and processing power on behalf of the cybercriminal.

First, a little bit of background: cryptocurrency, crypto mining and cryptojacking

Cryptocurrency is digital money, in the form of tokens or coins. Bitcoin is one of the most famous ones, although currently we can find more than 3,000 options. Crypto coins use blockchain to operate, which is regularly updated with existing and closed transactions, organized in information blocks. To create these blocks, cryptocurrencies require individuals to trade computing power with them, in exchange for an economic reward - these individuals are crypto miners.

AdSecure’s New Heavy Ad Detection

Tue, 17 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Heavy Ad Detection is new from AdSecure and is aimed at identifying Ads that do not fit with the IAB Standards. Heavy ads can cause websites to load slowly or be blocked by Chrome.

What are Heavy Ads?

Heavy Ads are ads that violate Google’s rules, and can get blocked by the Chrome browser. Any ad that meets one of the following criteria is classified as a heavy ad:

Consumes more than 4MB of network bandwidth
Uses CPU for 15 seconds or more within a 30 second window
Uses CPU for 60 seconds or more in total

In 2020, in order to enforce its heavy ad policy, Google implemented Heavy Ad Intervention (opens in a new tab) on Chrome 84 and above, aiming to block resource-intensive ads that use too much network bandwidth or user device CPU. It is also an effective way to keep end users away from crypto-mining attacks or non-compressed ad creatives that drain resources from their devices.

What is Adware?

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Adware, also known as advertising-supported software, is software that automatically generates online advertisements on a user’s screen to allow software developers to recover development costs or generate revenue. Adware often comes in software or programmes that users download from the internet, and displays unwanted ads during the installation process, hoping that users will click on them. This way the adware collects and reports marketing data and other information to the software authors without the user’s knowledge, or redirects search requests to certain advertising websites.

How to choose an Ad Quality solution

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

If you are looking to protect your advertising business, in this blog post we aim to show you how to choose an ad quality solution. Online advertising keeps the internet free for end users to enjoy a multitude of content and this has created a multi billion dollar industry for Ad Networks and Publishers that monetize ad inventory and for Advertisers bidding for this inventory in order to promote their products and offers. In a perfect world good ad inventory, high quality traffic sources, automated serving of great looking ad campaigns and highly engaged end users creates a mutually beneficial ad tech ecosystem. However, it is not a perfect world and there are several factors that destroy this ideal scenario:

Why is Ad Quality Important?

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Independent Advertising Bureau (IAB (opens in a new tab)) sets the digital advertising industry standards with ad quality metrics for stakeholders in the ad supply chain. An ad quality solution can play a key role in growing your ad networks business. In this blog post we will answer the question: Why is ad quality important for both ad networks and publishers and why ads should be of otimum quality.

What is Scareware?

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Scareware is designed to literally ‘scare’ an end user into thinking that their device is infected with a virus and manipulate the victim into downloading or buying unwanted software, and/or steal personal data. One of the ways bad actors distribute Scareware is through malvertising ad campaigns. When an end user visits a website and clicks on an ad, the Scareware is served to them. This usually takes the form of a pop up that features a warning such as ‘Virus Detected’ or ‘Security Warning.’ Tech blogs write about different types of Malvertising scams such as Scareware and it can be very damaging for the online reputation of a brand. Scareware reporting makes major headlines, for example Bleeping Computer (opens in a new tab) reported Office Depot accused of running a real-world tech support scam.

Inside AdSecure: How to Set a Custom Referrer

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

How to set a Customer Referrer

This is an additional feature that Publisher clients can use to scan not only non-referring traffic but traffic sent from referring domains. It also provides some additional useful insights about ad campaigns. In this article we will explain how to set a Customer Referrer.

What is a referring domain?

A referring domain is the website that directs users to your web page with a backlink or hyperlink. In other words, the referring domain is where the user was before landing on your site. Referring domains are considered important in SEO as they help Webmasters identify the sources of their web traffic, for either promotional or statistical purposes.

How to stop Malvertising: AdSecure's Violations Report 2021

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

For this report AdSecure analysed over 200 million ad campaigns globally between 1st January to 31st December 2021. These findings provide insights into cybercriminal malvertising behaviour during 2021: When did they deliver their attacks? What were their malicious weapons of choice? What did AdSecure’s detections reveal? How to stop Malvertising with AdSecure’s excellent Malvertising detection features.

1 in 20 scans reveal 4 or more violations detected in a single ad campaign

24.21% of scans detected 1 violation +8.9% increase comparing Q1/2 to Q3/4
10.21% of scans detected 2 violations +12.3% increase comparing Q1/2 to Q3/4
6.85% of scans detected 3 violations -9.3% decrease comparing Q1/2 to Q3/4
5.05% of scans detected 4 or more violations +19.3% increase comparing Q1/2 to Q3/4

Ad Security Violations in India 2021

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

As a prelude to our forthcoming Violations Report, we looked at ad security violations in India 2021. India has become one of the most popular Geolocations for Malvertisers to target. In fact it’s in the top 5 GEOs for malvertising detections, sitting in fourth place. All other GEOs targeted are considered Tier 1 countries, with India being the only Tier 3 country in the top 5.

Ad security & quality issues in the UK in Q3 & Q4

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

As a prequel to AdSecure’s soon to be released Violations Report Q3 & Q4 2021 we looked at 5 key insights related to ad security activity and ad quality issues, detected by AdSecure, that targeted the UK from July 1 to December 31st 2021.

#1: The second most attacked GEO

The UK was in second place for GEOs that malvertisers attacked the most, in first place was the US and in third place Thailand. Of the top three, the UK accounted for almosts a 5th of all of AdSecures detections at 19.7%

Ad Security Predictions 2022

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

2021 has been a challenging year, not only with the continuing issues caused by the pandemic but also with continued threats from bad actors as our digital transformation with more technological innovations continues to affect our daily online lives. Here are our ad security predictions for 2022 where we look at 4 big events from 2021, which will provide further opportunities for cyber criminals using the online advertising ecosystem to reach unsuspecting internet users with new, inventive ways of exploitation.

Malvertisers are boosting their Malware and Phishing scams

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In Q4 of this year cybercriminals were making the news headlines. Angling Direct’s (opens in a new tab) domain, website and social media accounts were compromised by hackers, redirecting users to an adult website; Electronics retailer MediaMarkt (opens in a new tab) got hit by ransomware that demanded $240 million dollars after stopping its online shopping service in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Q3 AdSecure also saw some big spikes in user security violations as bad actors launched their Summer attacks. Malware detections increased by 1285.19% with the majority concentrated in July and August. Phishing detections also increased by 413.97%. Adware, Browser Locker and Scareware also increased 15.74%, 8.65% and 4.82% respectively, and now, in Q4 detections for these user security violations are still high. To demonstrate some tactics used by Cybercriminals, here are two examples of Malware and Phishing campaigns, both recently detected and stopped by AdSecure:

AdSecure releases Q1 & Q2 Violations Report 2021

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

For AdSecure’s Violations Report, AdSecure analysed over 100 million ad campaigns between 1st January to 30th June 2021. These findings provide insights into cyber criminal behaviour during Q1 & Q2: Where they were most prolific? How they delivered their attacks? What were their malicious weapons of choice? What did AdSecure’s detections reveal in order to stop and protect end users from malicious ads?

“1 in 4 scans reveal 1 violation, and 1 in 20 scans reveal more than 3 violations detected.”

24.39% of scans detected 1 violation

1 in 40 scanned ad campaigns do not meet the IAB Standards

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

As a prequel to AdSecure’s soon to be released Violations Report Q1 & Q2, we looked at whether ad campaigns were aligned with the IAB industry standards. This was carried out using AdSecure’s IAB Standards detection tool that scans ads to verify that the ads remain compliant with the industry standard IAB recommendations. During Q1 and Q2 of 2021, AdSecure detected that 1 in 40 (2.4%) of all scans revealed ad campaigns were not meeting the IAB Standards. Out of those 2.4% of scans, the following graph shows the percentage detections related to each IAB Standard detection:

How malvertisers targeted the US in Q1 & Q2

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

As a prequel to AdSecure’s soon to be released Violations Report Q1 & Q2 we looked at Malvertising activity for user security violations that targeted the US.

The US is the top GEO for malvertiser activity, where AdSecure detected 20.9% of all user security violations. The next closest GEO was Germany at 7.84%, so as you can see the US is way ahead when it comes to malvertising attempts. Notice the use of the word ‘attempts’ here. Using AdSecure as an ad security solution discovered the ‘attempts’, meaning these malvertisers had their campaigns stopped before they could do any damage to website and ad network reputations and of course, they were unable to compromise the end user.

Why Real-Time Blocking isn't enough

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A Real-Time Blocking solution can act as a defense against any malicious ads being shown to end users. However, Real-Time Blocking solutions can mistakenly be sold as the only solution a Publisher or Ad Network will need to protect against threats.

The logic behind Real-Time Blocking is fairly simple. All blockers have a blacklist or third-party malware database of malicious domains or script patterns. Whenever any domains or scripts match their blacklist, they block the ads automatically before they can load and display to end-users. Real-Time Blocking may seem like a convenient tool for some Ad Platforms and Publishers, especially for those who don’t have a dedicated compliance team looking into malware issues, however, Real-Time Blocking protection is not the perfect fix.

5 Things that Motivate Malvertisers and how we stop them!

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Cyber criminals continually look for ways to infiltrate ad networks and ad serving platforms using various types of malvertising in the digital ad ecosystem. The intention is to exploit and harm website users directly, via the introduction of malware, phishing attacks, ransomware or forced redirects, all looking to exploit weaknesses that can do real, practical damage to users lives via data harvesting and scams.

Publishers should be aware that malvertisers will tend to start their campaign with a legitimate offer to get the campaign through an ad network’s Compliance scrutiny, then once the campaign has been running for a while they will switch the campaign and landing page url to a malvertising campaign.

Try out AdSecure’s Self Sign-up Free Trial and get 100,000 free scans!

Tue, 25 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Being one of the best ad verification solutions on the market, AdSecure continues to bring you the most innovative technologies and keep up with advertising industry standards. Our objective is to contribute in building a compliant digital ad environment and to deliver amazing user experiences.

Recently, we released our Self sign-up option (opens in a new tab), so potential new clients can test out our features. We are happy to report that more and more ad networks, ad ops teams and publishers have been trying out the AdSecure platform and recognising the importance of how necessary it is to use AdSecure as a powerful solution that improves their ad quality and boosts brand confidence.

5 things Ad Platforms need to know about Bad Ads

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The digital advertising ecosystem has for sometime tried to portray bad ads, malvertising and ad quality issues in general as a problem for Publishers. In reality, these issues, sometimes referred to as demand-side ad fraud, are a problem for Publishers, in large part because Ad Platforms don’t take enough action to eliminate the problem before it ends up on a Publisher’s site.

Publishers need their Ad Platform partners to take malvertising and other ad quality problems as seriously as they expect publishers to tackle supply-side ad fraud. This means educating Ad Platforms on the impact of bad ads, and how to identify and eliminate them.

AdSecure releases 2020 Violations Report

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

24 February 2021, Dublin, Ireland. AdSecure, the innovative cybersecurity company that provides digital publishers and platforms with modern solutions to ensure the delivery of safe, high quality digital ads, today announced the release of its 2020 Violations Report.

For this report AdSecure analysed more than 1 million ad campaigns across multiple regions, devices, and browsers for partners between 1st January to 31st December 2020. These findings provide insights into cyber criminal behaviour throughout the year: Where they were most prolific, how they delivered their attacks, their malicious weapons of choice, and what AdSecure’s detections revealed in order to stop and protect end users from malicious ads.

User Experience in 2021: Three Predictions for the digital ads ecosystem

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

With the arrival of the first rounds of various Covid-19 vaccines globally, the world is collectively holding out hope that a light is finally visible at the end of the Coronavirus tunnel. However, as we’ve seen during a very different holiday season, new cases (and unfortunately, new spikes in death rates) are still leaving many countries in lockdowns of various severity, prolonging remote working. This leaves many of us spending more time online than ever before, browsing websites and engaging with brands via digital ads, which can lead them exposed to security threats and user experience issues that can impact their trust in the sites they encounter issues on.

As 2021 kicks off, recent events in Washington DC show us that the November 3rd US Election did nothing to quell the war between fake news and reality, which also has a massive impact in the digital world. 2021 is going to be a very interesting year, one of hope for many, and full of challenges for all. The digital advertising industry is no different in that regard, so as we did last year, we’re taking a look at some key predictions that can impact user experience in the coming year.