What Is Clickjacking? How Do Malicious Affiliates Use It To Earn More Commissions?
Affiliates use different ways to attract traffic for their advertisers, and in the quest of earning more money, they often get tempted to use malicious ways of getting user clicks. Clickjacking attacks rely on visual tricks to get website visitors to click on user interface elements. This article shows how a clickjacking attack works and how to prevent them.
What is Clickjacking?
Clickjacking, also known as user interface redressing, is a malicious technique of hijacking the clickable elements on a website, software application, browser extensions, and other online platforms.
It is a combination of 2 words – Click and Hijacking, simply meaning, it is a method used to trick users into clicking an invisible web page element or disguised as another element.
This is performed by injecting an invisible page or HTML element, inside an iframe, on top of the actual page visible to the user. The user believes they are clicking the visible page, but an invisible component of the additional page is transposed on top of it and deceives the user to unwittingly download malware, visit malicious websites, share personal credentials or sensitive information, financial transactions, or purchase products online.
The most common approach to Clickjacking involves presenting the user with overlaid web pages in the browser window and some reward to click in specified tabs. The attacker starts by loading the vulnerable target website into an iframe, setting it to full transparency, and placing the frame in front of a malicious web page created to elicit clicks in suitable places.
There are many purposes that Clickjacking can serve, and a few are listed below:
● PPC frauds in affiliate marketing
● Redirecting to competitor website or software application
● Malware and Adware distribution (e.g., a virus/Trojan download)
● Generating fake likes for social media posts (such as on Facebook or Instagram)
● Third-party access authorization to remotely perform actions on the hijacked system
Types of Clickjacking attacks
The attacks have different names based on the nature of their operation. The most common ones are listed below:
● Cookie hijacking: Cookie hijacking is the insertion of an affiliate cookie by distributing adware through web browser extensions or software applications. The malicious affiliates hijack the click elements on advertisers' websites and insert their affiliate cookies to monetize the user purchases. They earn without driving traffic for the advertisers and consume the commissions of legitimate affiliates.
● Cursor jacking: This technique changes the cursor position to a different section from where the user perceives it. The user performs an action they intend to, but the hijacked cursor clicks on another hidden element on the web page. Cursor jacking is a technique of "creating" a lag between where you, a user, seem to click and where they actually click.
● Like jacking: This type of Clickjacking is performed to increase the likes on social media profiles. The threat actors hijack the click elements and redirect the users to like tabs on Facebook or other social media networks.
● File jacking: The user allows the attacker to access their local file system and use their personal data for various purposes without their knowledge.
How does it benefit malicious Affiliates?
The affiliate industry works on the model of - Give & Take. There are 3 key players in an affiliate marketing model – the advertiser (brand), the publisher(affiliates) & the buyer(customers).
The advertisers pay commissions to the publishers to drive user traffic, eventually increasing sales.
Affiliates often adopt malicious ways to earn more commissions. One such way is Clickjacking. The affiliates have multiple methods to hijack the clickable elements on web pages or applications to drop their affiliate cookies to earn commissions. Few are mentioned below:
● Injecting multiple third-party affiliate cookies into the user system/browser
● Redirecting users to a competitor website or software application
● Consuming advertising budgets by flooding spam clicks on pay per click ads
● Distributing malware or adware attacks to access user systems
● Access users’ personal information like passwords, banking, contact details, and more
How to prevent clickjacking attacks?
Affiliate traps have increased manifolds over the past decade, and with the uplift in the affiliate marketing industry, it is only to grow in the future. Brands are becoming more active in monitoring their affiliate networks and keeping them safe from fraud.
Virus Positive Technologies (VPT) is pioneering the market of Affiliate Fraud Detection and Management & Brand Protection. VPT's disruptive methodology identifies non-compliant behaviors that divert customers to competitor offerings, hurting conversion rates and damaging brand reputation. By eliminating these invasive promotions, VPT consistently recovers advertisers' revenue and brand value; companies can win back more than 90% of their stolen revenue. The world's largest retailers rely on VPT's solutions to eliminate invasive promotions, preserve the online customer experience, and consistently recover advertiser' revenue.
