A New Wave Of Bad Ads Is Hijacking Even Top-Tier Websites … :
“Malvertising, as it’s sometimes called, isn’t new. The first recorded sighting of a malware-loaded ad, in late 2007 or early 2008, stemmed from a vulnerability in Adobe Flash, and affected a number of platforms including MySpace, Excite, and Rhapsody. In 2012, the Online Trust Alliance, an industry group, estimated nearly 10 billion ad impressions were compromised by malicious ads. But those in the digital ad industry say the problem has been rapidly growing worse.”
“In some cases, unscrupulous advertising code even purposely displays marketing messages that users will never see, according to a report on Monday from ad security company GeoEdge. Instead, the ads hijack phones and computers to simulate mouse clicks and finger taps on the hidden ads, in order to pull in revenue from advertisers who can’t distinguish automated interactions from legitimate potential customers.”
“Alongside the rise in ad malware, security researchers have also recently highlighted a surge in cryptojacking—scripts and software that secretly mine cryptocurrency using website visitors’ CPUs. According to a report by Check Point this week, cryptojacking malware accounted for two of the three most widespread malware infections globally in December 2017. And, Israeli adtech firm Spotad warned recently, websites and publishers need to be prepared for this kind of malware slipping in through their sites’ ad networks.”
“The risk to publishers, of course, is that internet users who are fed up with malicious ads will turn increasingly to adblocking software.”
Yes I did. :-\