Google Click-to-Call Growing 28% A Month
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 22 December 2010
Google’s click-to-call ad response tool is growing by 28% a month and is producing 6-8% higher click-through rates for mobile advertisers. It is yet another indication that in mobile, it’s important to give the end user an opportunity to respond immediately in order to maximize response. Read more.
A Cyber-Criminal’s Shopping List And Other Links
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 22 December 2010
EMC recently produced a report proving the prices of various illicitly obtained goods: credit card details, online banking accounts, and Trojan virus bot network software were just some of the items discussed. It is included in our quick round-up of useful and strangely fascinating security links, after the jump. Read more.
Acai Berries are back for Gawker Media Users
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 15 December 2010
Acai Berries are back! Well, they are if you are if you have ever registered with a Gawker Media site such as Gizmodo or Lifehacker. This past weekend 1.3 million people had their passwords and email addresses taken from Gawker’s servers and these were then used to launch a Twitter-based spam campaign for a number of AcaiNewsx.com websites. And it all came about as the result of the over-sized ego of an idiot publisher. Read more.
If hackers can take down Visa and Mastercard’s sites on the same day, they can do the same to yours. It’s not even difficult. A simple application called LOIC is now available that allows anybody to set up and collaborate in a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack on any website of their choosing. What is LOIC? Where did it come from? And how do you protect yourself against it? Read more.
Dealing with a DDoS Attack?
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 8 December 2010
So what can you do? The basics of dealing with a DDoS attack are as follows: Don’t run your server on Windows. It just doesn’t have the tools you need to resist a DDOS attack. You need a Unix-like base. Pick an ISP who understands that dealing with a DDoS attack is part of their job and not just a reason to shut your site down; Read more.
What is HTTPS?
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 30 November 2010
In order to implement SSL-based security on your own website, there are a couple of technical terms you should know. The one you will see most often is called HTTPS. HTTPS is a way to transfer encrypted data over the Web using SSL-based security. Read more.
What is SSL?
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 29 November 2010
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. In plain English that simply means that it’s a way for a website to communicate safely with a browser on a website user’s computer. Read more.
Website Security For Affiliates
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 29 November 2010
Any business or affiliate needs to ensure that their website is secure but it is especially important if they want to actually sell products or services. In that case, it’s not just that one needs to protect against hackers. One also needs to ensure that the sale transaction itself is protected, and that prospective customers know in advance that their information and credit card details are safe. Read more.
Cagefight: Facebook vs MaxBounty
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 27 October 2010
The big news this week has been Facebook filing lawsuits against MaxBounty, Steven Richter and Jason Swan, the CTO of CPALead. The allegations are serious and include violations of CAN-SPAM, fraud and breach of contract among others. Facebook is breaking fresh ground with these actions, and the word on the ground is that the people involved are taking them very seriously. Read more.
Botnet of 13 Million Computers Smashed
Chris Trayhorn – Posted on 27 October 2010
On Wednesday Spanish authorities announced the arrest of three alleged ringleaders behind the Mariposa botnet. Mariposa is possibly the largest botnet yet discovered and consisted of an estimated 12.7 million computers. The extent of the virus-infection is staggering: more than 190 countries, over half of the Fortune 1,000 large enterprises and at least 40 major banks were affected. Online banking credentials, credit cards and passwords were targeted by the group running the botnet.
Network Insights
Lisa Morgan – Posted on 18 April 2010
The performance marketing industry has gone through dramatic changes in the six months since we last published the Blue Book Top 20. We asked senior feature writer, Lisa Morgan, to talk to some leading networks to find out what they think about three important drivers of change: fraud, campaign management and social media advertising. Read more.
Big Bucks, Bad Business: Who’s Getting Google-Slapped and Why
Lisa Morgan – Posted on 27 January 2010
Google is cracking down. Last month, Google filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Pacific WebWorks and several others as part of an effort to stop fraudulent “Google Money” schemes. These are scammy offers that use Google’s brand to attract unsuspecting customers and then trap them into hard-to-break continuity programs, often via negative option contracts. Read more.
What’s in a Name?
Eric Reyes – Posted on 23 March 2009
Buying domain names of real live people can be manna to the unscrupulous. Anne Fognano is not a newbie in the online marketing world. She has run a successful affiliate business since 1997. She’s the force behind CleverMoms.com and has registered a raft of variations on the “clever moms” domain name to safeguard her valuable brand. But she never bought the domain for her own name – AnneFognano.com. When someone else did, all hell broke loose. Read more.