Botnets used in click scam

Date: May 17, 2006
Source: The Register


Botnets are being used for Google Adword click fraud, according to security watchers.

The SANS Institute has uncovered evidence that networks of compromised PCs are being used to click on banner ads, generating revenue for unscrupulous publishers.

Pay-per-click schemes such as Google Adsense have programs to detect fraudulent clicks and suspend publishers implicated in click fraud. In an effort to disguise bogus visits, these publishers have begun hiring botnets to slip under the radar of fraud detection programs.

The "bottom line is that the advertiser pays in exchange for a bot visiting him", the SANS Institute reports.

Generating traffic from a small number of machines (numbered in the hundreds) makes the traffic generated from compromised machines look innocuous. In return for helping click fraud scammers keep a low profile, botnet owners rake in a percentage from the scam.
Original article

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