Click fraud glossary

An Autonomous System Number (ASN) is a unique identifier assigned to a network or group of networks managed by a single organization, such as an internet service provider or large company. In the context of click fraud, ASNs can help track the origin of suspicious traffic and identify potential sources of invalid clicks that may be draining advertising budgets.

Ad cloaking is a deceptive technique where advertisers show different content to ad platforms and users. Scammers use this method to bypass ad network filters, hiding low-quality or prohibited content from detection while displaying misleading or harmful ads to unsuspecting website visitors.

Ad fraud is a deceptive practice where criminals generate fake website visits, clicks, or impressions to steal money from advertisers. These fraudulent activities use automated bots or low-wage workers to artificially inflate traffic statistics, causing businesses to waste money on non-genuine interactions and potentially damaging their online advertising campaigns.

Ad hiding is a deceptive technique where fraudsters conceal or disguise digital advertisements to generate fake clicks and traffic. This method tricks advertisers by making ads appear to be viewed or interacted with, while actually being placed in ways that prevent genuine human engagement, ultimately wasting advertising budgets.

Ad injection is a deceptive technique where unauthorized ads are inserted into web pages without the website owner's consent. Typically done through browser extensions or malware, these ads can replace legitimate advertisements, steal potential revenue, and create a poor user experience for visitors.

Ad quality refers to the relevance, effectiveness, and credibility of an online advertisement. High-quality ads are less likely to attract fraudulent clicks, provide genuine value to viewers, and reduce the risk of wasted marketing budget through invalid traffic and click fraud.

An ad spot is a specific space or time slot where an advertisement can be displayed, such as on a website, mobile app, or during a broadcast. In the context of click fraud, ad spots are potential targets for generating invalid traffic and fake clicks that can drain advertising budgets and skew performance metrics.

Ad stacking is a deceptive click fraud technique where multiple digital ads are layered on top of each other, with only the top ad visible. When a user clicks, they unknowingly interact with multiple hidden ads, generating fraudulent impressions and clicks that waste advertisers' budgets and skew campaign performance metrics.

Ad verification is a process that helps advertisers ensure their digital ads are displayed correctly, on legitimate websites, and seen by real human audiences. It checks for potential click fraud, bot traffic, and invalid impressions to protect advertising budgets from being wasted on fake or low-quality ad placements.

An advertiser is a person or company that pays to promote their products or services through online platforms, hoping to attract genuine customers. From a click fraud perspective, advertisers are vulnerable to losing money when fraudulent clicks artificially inflate their advertising costs without delivering real potential buyers.

Affiliate fraud occurs when dishonest marketers manipulate tracking systems to generate fake clicks, leads, or sales, tricking advertisers into paying commissions for traffic that isn't genuine. This scam can drain marketing budgets by creating false conversions and skewing performance metrics, ultimately costing businesses money through illegitimate affiliate activities.

An anti-detect browser is a specialized web browser designed to hide or manipulate digital fingerprints, making it harder for websites to track or identify a user's true online identity. These browsers can change browser characteristics like user agent, IP address, and system settings, which can be used to create multiple fake browsing profiles for potentially fraudulent activities.

Attribution fraud is a deceptive practice where fraudsters manipulate tracking systems to falsely claim credit for ad clicks or conversions they didn't actually generate. This scam allows bad actors to steal advertising commissions or payments by creating fake touchpoints that appear to lead to a sale or interaction.

An audience pixel is a small piece of tracking code placed on a website that helps advertisers collect data about visitors, their behaviors, and interactions. It enables retargeting and can potentially be exploited by fraudsters to generate fake traffic or manipulate advertising metrics, potentially increasing click fraud and wasting advertising budgets.

Behavioral signals are digital clues that show how real users interact with a website or ad, such as mouse movements, scroll patterns, time spent on page, and click sequences. These signals help distinguish genuine human traffic from automated bots or fraudulent click activity, allowing advertisers to identify and filter out invalid or suspicious website interactions.

Bot detection is a process that helps identify and block automated software programs (bots) that generate fake website visits or clicks. By using advanced techniques like behavioral analysis and challenge tests, this technology protects advertisers from fraudulent traffic that wastes marketing budgets and skews performance metrics.

Bot mitigation is a strategy to detect and block automated software (bots) that generate fake website traffic and fraudulent clicks. It helps protect advertisers by using tools and techniques to identify non-human traffic, preventing scammers from draining advertising budgets with invalid interactions that don't represent real potential customers.

Bot traffic refers to automated web visits generated by software programs instead of real human users. These bots can artificially inflate website statistics, consume bandwidth, and potentially generate fraudulent ad clicks that waste advertising budgets and skew performance metrics for businesses.

A botnet is a network of infected computers and devices controlled by hackers to perform malicious tasks like generating fake website clicks, driving invalid traffic, and committing ad fraud. These compromised machines can be remotely directed to click on ads, artificially inflate website traffic, and cause financial damage to advertisers and website owners.

Bounce rate is the percentage of website visitors who leave a site after viewing only one page, often indicating low-quality traffic or potential click fraud. A high bounce rate can signal that visitors are not genuine, potentially arriving through fraudulent or bot-generated clicks that waste advertising budget and skew performance metrics.

Brand safety refers to the practice of protecting a company's reputation by ensuring ads do not appear alongside inappropriate, offensive, or harmful content that could damage the brand's image. For advertisers concerned about click fraud, this means carefully monitoring where their ads are displayed to prevent association with fraudulent or low-quality websites that generate invalid traffic.

A browser fingerprint is a unique digital signature created by your web browser's specific settings and characteristics, such as screen resolution, installed plugins, and system fonts. Advertisers and websites can use this fingerprint to track and identify individual users, potentially helping detect and prevent click fraud by distinguishing between genuine and suspicious traffic.

A CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a security challenge designed to prevent bots from automatically submitting forms or accessing websites. These tests typically require users to complete a visual or audio puzzle that automated systems struggle to solve, helping to reduce fraudulent clicks and protect web traffic integrity.

CPC (Cost Per Click) is the amount an advertiser pays each time someone clicks on their online ad. In click fraud scenarios, this can become expensive when bots or malicious actors deliberately generate fake clicks, draining advertising budgets and skewing campaign performance without delivering genuine potential customer engagement.

CTIT (Click To Install Time) is the duration between a user clicking on an ad and actually installing the advertised app or software. In click fraud, a suspiciously short or inconsistent CTIT can indicate bot activity or artificially generated clicks designed to drain advertising budgets and skew performance metrics.

Canvas fingerprinting is a tracking technique where websites use HTML5 canvas elements to create a unique digital signature of a user's browser and device. This method helps advertisers and trackers identify and monitor individual users across different websites, potentially contributing to click fraud and invalid traffic that can harm advertising campaigns.

Click bots are automated computer programs designed to simulate human clicks on online advertisements or websites. These malicious scripts generate fake traffic, artificially inflating click numbers and potentially draining advertising budgets by creating false impressions and interactions that appear to be from real users.

A click farm is a place where low-paid workers or automated bots are used to artificially inflate website traffic, generate fake social media engagement, or boost online ad clicks. These operations create false impressions and interactions to manipulate metrics, potentially costing advertisers money and skewing performance data.

Click flooding is a deceptive technique where bots or automated scripts rapidly generate massive numbers of fake clicks on online ads, artificially inflating click-through rates and draining advertisers' budgets. This fraudulent activity creates false traffic that looks like genuine user engagement but is actually designed to steal advertising money through invalid interactions.

Click fraud is a deceptive practice where individuals or automated bots intentionally click on online advertisements without genuine interest, causing advertisers to waste money on fake interactions. This malicious activity can drain marketing budgets, skew performance metrics, and harm the effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns.

Click injection is a type of mobile ad fraud where a malicious app generates a fake click just before an app installation is completed, stealing credit for the install from the original referral source. This fraudulent technique allows bad actors to illegally claim advertising commissions by intercepting and replacing legitimate attribution.

Click jacking is a deceptive web technique where hackers trick users into clicking something different from what they think they're clicking. Invisible layers are placed over legitimate buttons or links, causing people to unknowingly interact with hidden content, which can lead to unintended actions like downloading malware or generating fraudulent ad clicks.

A click tracker is a tool that monitors and records every click on an online advertisement, helping advertisers detect suspicious or fraudulent click activity. It tracks details like IP address, timestamp, and user behavior to identify potential invalid traffic that could waste advertising budgets and skew campaign performance metrics.

Competitor click fraud is when a rival business deliberately clicks on your online ads to drain your advertising budget, causing you to waste money on fake clicks that never convert to real customers. This malicious practice aims to exhaust your marketing funds and reduce the effectiveness of your digital advertising campaigns.

Connected TV refers to internet-enabled televisions that can stream content and display digital ads. For advertisers, these devices can be vulnerable to click fraud and bot-driven traffic, potentially generating fake views and wasting marketing budgets through automated or manipulated interactions with video advertisements.

Conversion fraud occurs when bad actors deliberately fake conversions or sales to collect fraudulent commissions or falsely inflate performance metrics. This type of fraud involves creating fake leads, false purchase transactions, or simulated user actions that appear legitimate but are actually designed to steal advertising revenue or manipulate marketing data.

Cookie stuffing is a deceptive technique where fraudsters secretly place tracking cookies in a user's browser without their consent, falsely claiming credit for website referrals or sales they didn't actually generate. This unethical practice allows scammers to steal commissions from legitimate affiliate marketers and manipulate advertising attribution.