A Chinese Ad Firm Is Using Malware to Get More Clicks (vice.com) 26
An anonymous reader shares a Motherboard report: Advertising agencies go to great lengths to spread their clients' messages. Now, researchers have uncovered a new approach: malware. This month, cybersecurity company Check Point reports that a Chinese group called Yingmob has distributed mobile device malware on a massive scale, apparently alongside a legitimate advertising analytics business. Listed as based in Beijing's Chaoyang District, Yingmob, a subsidiary of MIG Unmobi Technology Inc., markets itself like any other advertising firm. Its professional-looking website claims its easy-to-deploy ads support text, pictures, and video, and don't affect the user experience. It offers pop-up, sidebar, and in-app adverts. But Check Point's report claims that part of the company -- the "Development Team for Overseas Platform," which employs a staff of 25 people -- is responsible for malware it has dubbed HummingBad. This malware allows the injection of adverts into victims' devices. Whenever someone clicks on one of these adverts, Yingmob gets paid, just like a typical advertising campaign. The first infection method Check Point came across was a "drive-by-download," whereby Yingmob's malware targets a victim when they visit a malicious website, then proceeds to download malicious apps onto their device. In its analysis, Check Point writes that nearly 10 million people are using malicious Android apps made by Yingmob.
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Umm, Linux IS malware by most defintions...etc
Which humourless idiot modded this -1. It's funny as hell.
Time to spread the following (Score:3)
"Yingmob uses this platform to promote Tibetan Independence."
The matter should sort itself out rather quickly.
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"Yingmob uses this platform to promote Tibetan Independence."
The matter should sort itself out rather quickly.
...care of the Chinese Secret police.
New low (Score:2)
I think we can conclude the business model of advertising paying for content is currently failing.
Users are overwhelmed with advertising, but spend only so much. Solution: more advertising.
So now it seems like 90% of the bits is download to read some information, is not the information itself, but adverts and tracking shit. What's next year, 98%, 99.9%?
At what point will this model fail. Or, already has, as apparently malware is needed to boost the income.
Adblockers will be seen as the solution to evade thi
Isn't all advertising malware (Score:3, Insightful)
crap that takes system resources without permission, sounds like malware AND advertising to me
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So, according to this article, using advertising with Malware is a new approach?
Have they never heard the term, adware? What do they think adware does?
Whenever someone clicks on one of these adverts (Score:1)
Meaning that there really *are* people that actually click on adverts?
They deserve what they get, then
Oh noes (Score:2)
"A Chinese Ad Firm Is Using Malware to Get More Clicks"
An ad company breaking the rules and using malware to increase profits? Lol, say it isn't so!
And they wonder why we use ad blockers....
Chinese cheat (Score:3)
Chinese cheat. Period. Ex-Soviets and formerly-Cubans do too. No, this is not "racism" — the trait is not genetic, it is cultural. When you are dealing with the abusive State for most of the things, cheating is the only way to have a reasonably comfortable life. It is not considered wrong or dishonest — everybody does it.
Western world weren't cheating quite so much not because they are racially superior somehow, but simply because they don't interact with the State as much as victims of Socialism/Communism are forced to.
It is coming to America as well — and not just with the immigrants [latimes.com], but with the "natives" too, because the State (comparably abusive in all countries) is increasingly in charge of various aspects of our lives. From tax-evaders, to highway speeders swearing they "didn't do it", to "workman's compensation" false claims, to Medicare fraud [fastcompany.com] — cheating the government and the fugly bureaucrats who represent it is Ok.
And then you forget to stop and cheat even the business partners... Consider it PTSD — with Socialism being the trauma.
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Chinese cheat. Period. Ex-Soviets and formerly-Cubans do too. No, this is not "racism" â" the trait is not genetic, it is cultural. When you are dealing with the abusive State for most of the things, cheating is the only way to have a reasonably comfortable life. It is not considered wrong or dishonest â" everybody does it.
Western world weren't cheating quite so much not because they are racially superior somehow, but simply because they don't interact with the State as much as victims of Socialism/Communism are forced to.
You've got yourself some "interesting" theories there. But first about "racism": the term was never used in a stricly genetic sense; not only is skin colour a very superficial criterium with very little genetic background, but right from the beginning, the term "race" was used to label "them" as different from "us" - hence the British Race, the Spanish Race, the Jewish Race etc. Its influence even showed up in terms like "breeds" - working class people of the so-called "British Race" were a different breed
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Ah, once again, Illiberal "Progressives" redefine terms to suit their agenda...
Sorry, would not fly. The dictionary [princeton.edu] says (emphasis mine):
I am aware of folks like yourself, who would — incorrectly — claim
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And then you forget to stop and cheat even the business partners... Consider it PTSD — with Socialism being the trauma.
All your isms have failed. None of the economic systems that have existed have ever delivered us from corruption that exists, so the structural issues that the world faces so that we can *evolve* are never addressed. That because the established powers beget more power and why would they want the status quo challenged?
Corruption exists to supplement power.