Click Fraud Enters the Big Time
A big botnet is on the loose.
Unlike the ultra-cool robots in science fiction movies, this piece of scumware is out to cheat you of hard earned cash. Linda Buquet of 5 Star Affiliate Programs posted a piece of the story reported (among other places) on Help Net Security.
“PandaLabs has detected a network of computers infected with the bot Clickbot.A, which is being used to defraud ‘pay per click’ systems, registering clicks automatically and providing lucrative returns for the creators. According to the data collected so far, the scam is exploiting a global network comprising more than 34,000 zombie computers (those infected by the bot).”
Even hackers have turned materialistic these days, and are willing to create payloads that don’t delete files or splash annoying messages, but artificially click ads. They click away, mindlessly making money out of thin ether. But like any non-productive activity, it doesn’t create anything of value — it simply steals from hardworking affiliates.
Fight back.
In our upcoming issue of Affiliate Classroom magazine, Yours Truly discusses the phenomenon and provides some resources and guidance on how to do just that.