Affiliate Marketing Tracking Services Against Cookie Stuffing

1. Safeguarding Campaign Integrity: Strategies Employed by Affiliate Marketing Tracking Services Against Cookie Stuffing Affiliate fraud continues to be a major concern for marketing teams and advertisers. While affiliate marketing is a powerful tool for driving website traffic, it also presents opportunities for abuse by unscrupulous affiliates. Among various forms of affiliate fraud, cookie stuffing stands out as a deceptive practice employed by threat actors to exploit affiliate programs. Many companies are now turning to affiliate tracking services to protect their affiliates, focusing not only on session hijacking prevention but also on combating cookie stuffing. Affiliate tracking platforms have evolved to monitor cookies, offering essential insights into the prevention of affiliate fraud. Here's a comprehensive look at cookie stuffing in affiliate marketing and how tracking services play a crucial role. Cookies: Integral to Affiliate Marketing Cookies, small files containing user-specific data, are fundamental to affiliate marketing. Marketers utilize both first-party and third- party cookies to recognize users, deliver personalized experiences, and attribute sales to users clicking on ads. While first-party cookies enhance user experience, third-party cookies assist in targeted advertising and tracking user activities. Affiliate marketers heavily rely on cookies to convey information to retailers, making them an indispensable part of affiliate marketing. The right affiliate marketing tracking platforms can significantly reduce the risks associated with cookie stuffing. Understanding Cookie Stuffing Cookie stuffing occurs when threat actors illegitimately claim credit for a user clicking on an affiliate link. Malicious affiliates drop third-party cookies onto users' web browsers, resulting in the marketing team unknowingly paying commissions to these nefarious VIRUSPOSITIVE Phone + 91 - 124 - 2666031 Email- sales@viruspositive.com Sector-48, Gurugram-122001 Vipul Trade Center, Unit#130-131,440,

2. actors. This fraudulent practice not only takes away earnings from legitimate affiliates but also leads to unnecessary expenses for the company, reimbursing commissions for fake leads. Methods Employed by Malicious Affiliates Unscrupulous affiliates use various methods to execute cookie stuffing, including: 1. Pop-Ups While pop-ups are common features on websites, malicious pop-ups can transmit malware to users' devices. Investing in malware solutions is crucial to protect the integrity of affiliate networks and ensure users exercise caution when installing third-party pop-up apps. 2. JavaScript and Cookie Stuffing Malicious affiliates leverage JavaScript to inject malicious code between redirects, employing techniques such as image cookie stuffing, pixel cookie stuffing, iFrame cookie stuffing, and browser hijacking to execute their fraudulent activities. The Importance of Monitoring Cookie Stuffing Reputed affiliate marketing tracking solutions actively monitor networks for signs of cookie stuffing, aiding in maintaining affiliate security. Monitoring cookie stuffing is crucial for several reasons: 1. Tracking Web Browser's History Cookies used in cookie stuffing can track and monitor users' browser history, potentially damaging users' trust in the company's online portal and harming the brand's reputation. VIRUSPOSITIVE Phone + 91 - 124 - 2666031 Email- sales@viruspositive.com Sector-48, Gurugram-122001 Vipul Trade Center, Unit#130-131,440,

3. 2. Violating Users' Privacy Cookie stuffing can violate users' privacy by preventing them from customizing their cookie preferences, potentially leading to a breach of data regulations. 3. Loss of Revenue Companies may end up paying commissions to malicious affiliates during cookie stuffing, resulting in increased expenses as legitimate affiliates need to be reimbursed. 4. Risk Factors associated with False Insights Cookie stuffing increases the risk of deriving false insights, as threat actors feed incorrect information to marketing teams, leading to decisions based on inaccurate data that can adversely affect campaigns. Virus Positive Technologies: Monitoring Affiliate Fraud Virus Positive Technologies emerge as a comprehensive solution for ad fraud detection. VPT constantly monitors networks for signs of cookie stuffing and employs an advanced methodology to identify non-compliant behaviors. Safeguard your affiliate network with VPT's futuristic solutions, ensuring a fraud-free environment for your marketing efforts. VIRUSPOSITIVE Phone + 91 - 124 - 2666031 Email- sales@viruspositive.com Sector-48, Gurugram-122001 Vipul Trade Center, Unit#130-131,440,