WordPress ad-fraud plugins generated 1.4 billion ad requests per day

A large-scale ad fraud operation called 'Scallywag' is monetizing pirating and URL shortening sites through specially crafted WordPress plugins that generate billions of daily fraudulent requests. Scallywag was uncovered by bot and fraud detection firm HUMAN, which mapped a network of 407 domains supporting the operation that peaked at 1.4 billion fraudulent ad requests per day. HUMAN's efforts to block and report Scallywag traffic have resulted in its shrinking by 95%, although the threat actors have shown resilience by rotating domains and moving to other monetization models. Built around WordPress ad fraud plugins Legitimate ad providers avoid pirating and URL shortening sites due to legal risks, brand safety concerns, ad fraud, and lack of quality content. Scallywag is a fraud-as-a-service operation built around four WordPress plugins that help cybercriminals generate money from risky and low-quality sites. The WordPress plugins created by the operation are Soralink (released ... Read full article.