Timeline of a Malvertising Attack

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Redirects away from publisher sites

Ad cloaking to execute clickbait scams

Ad cloaking to execute clickbait scams

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Redirects to malicious landing pages

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Distribution of malware

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Client-side injections to steal user info

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Heavy ads slowing site experience

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Pixel/Video Stuffing

Human Timeline of a Malvertising Attack Step 1

Bad actor creates malicious code and sets up a programmatic ad campaign

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Bad actor submits their campaign for creative review

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Pre-scanning tools check for malicious activity in creative, but malvertiser evades blocklist detection

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Bad actor’s campaign wins auction bid

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try to catch known bad actors, but malvertiser evades blocklist detection

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Malvertising Defense scans all creatives on page and analyzes landing pages to detect malicious behavior

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Creative renders and malvertiser pays for impressions

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Creative renders, but malicious behavior is blocked

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Code begins to execute malicious activity

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Malicious code never executes.
User never lands on “Congrats” page

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Malicious activity affects users and damages publisher revenue

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User experience is unaffected, publisher revenue is protected and malvertiser will look elsewhere for future attacks

Human Timeline of a Malvertising Attack Malvertising Defense Advantage 1

Preserve Revenue

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Protect Brand Reputation

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Optimize Performance and Overhead

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