Cyberspace — AdSecure, the ad verification tool used by ad networks, operations teams and publishers, recently announced that it has added auto-redirect ad format detection to it’s arsenal. In addition to being annoying, the auto-redirect ad format is used widely by cybercriminals for distributing malicious advertising.

Once a user is exposed to an auto-redirect, the format takes over their browser and redirects them to another website page — all with no interaction by the user. This intrusive technique impacts desktop, mobile and tablet devices. Mobile devices are particularly susceptible to auto-redirects on both Android and iOS.

AdSecure’s Product Manager Mat Derval commented, “[Our] team and our technology has enabled us to quickly develop and get to market the software needed to detect this malicious ad format. Ad platforms and publishers that use AdSecure’s all-in-one malware detection package benefit from keeping their users safe from being exposed to malicious ad formats.”

One example of how auto-redirects are delivered to the user is through a malicious banner ad. Even if the banner is only displayed and the user has not clicked on the banner, it may still redirect the visitor to another webpage. These types of banners usually contain a JavaScript, and the redirected webpage is then used as a vehicle for some form of affiliate fraud or malware.

Some auto-redirect scams go as far as hijacking a browser’s  back button or even trapping the user with a pop-up notification to prevent them from returning to the original site they were viewing. And this problem is becoming increasingly relevant.

“These malicious auto-redirect ads used to only affect junk websites, but recently auto-redirects have been placed on reputable websites, including The New York Times, amongst others,” Derval shared.

For more information, please visit adsecure.com.