The rise of "pay-per-click" online advertising, celebrated for turning Google and Yahoo into enormous businesses, is proving a boon for cyberthieves, reports
The Wall Street Journal. Hackers
are using increasingly sophisticated computer programs to automate phony clicks on Internet ads and then hide the click fraud from detection. This threat, although still small, poses a challenge for
Google, Yahoo, and other Internet companies that sell pay-per-click ads and need to assure advertisers that they are paying for legitimate clicks from potential customers. One catalyst has been the
explosion of "bots"--malicious software that hackers sneak onto thousands of home computers and network together into huge "botnets." The click-fraud programs can be changed quickly, making it easier
for them to evade security software and to be customized for different fraud schemes.
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal (paid subscription only) »