“僵尸网络”假造巨大广告浏览量

Online investigators have exposed a network of hijacked computers that defrauded advertisers by generating billions of fake ad views.互联网调查人员揭露了一个由被劫持的电脑构成的网络，该网络产生了巨量虚假广告浏览次数，从而欺诈广告客户。

The so-called botnet scheme, which hijacked 120,000 residential PCs in the US and cost advertisers millions of dollars a month, highlights the increasing complexity and opacity of online advertising.这个“僵尸网络计谋”劫持了美国境内的12万台私人电脑，使广告客户们每月付出数百万美元的代价，它突显了在线广告与日俱增的复杂性和不透明性。

Spider.io, a London-based start-up that tracks web browsing activity, estimates traffic from the “Chameleon” botnet accounted for almost two-thirds of the total visits to certain websites. The inflated number of page views increased advertising revenues for the websites’ owners.追踪网页浏览活动的伦敦初创企业Spider.io估计，来自“变色龙”(Chameleon)僵尸网络的流量，在某些网站的访问总量中占了近三分之二。被夸大的页面访问次数因此增加了网站所有者的广告收入。

In a report published on Tuesday, Spider.io said the hijacked PCs, which were first infected by a virus, generated up to 9bn ad views or “impressions” every month across a network of more than 200 sites. Sophisticated software even mimicked mouse movements and clicks, giving the impression that potential consumers were visiting the sites.Spider.io在周二发表的一份报告中表示，被劫持的电脑首先被一种病毒感染，然后每月在逾200站点的一个网络产生至多90亿广告浏览次数，即“印象”。先进的软件甚至能够模拟鼠标移动和点击，造成潜在消费者正在访问相关站点的印象。

“It is difficult to imagine why one would run this type of botnet across a cluster of 202 sites other than to commit display advertising fraud,” Douglas de Jager, Spider.io’s chief executive, said in the report.“除了从事针对显示广告的欺诈外，很难想象谁会对一个202站点的集群运行此类僵尸网络，”Spider.io首席执行官道格拉斯•德耶格(Douglas de Jager)在报告中表示。

The websites’ owners charge an average 69 cents per thousand ad impressions, meaning the botnet traffic is costing advertisers about $6m a month.这些网站的所有者对每1000个广告印象平均收取69美分，这意味着僵尸网络流量使广告客户每月付出大约600万美元的无谓代价。

Mr de Jager told the Financial Times that the scheme was just one of many that the online advertising industry had been fooled by – or had chosen to ignore.德耶格对英国《金融时报》表示，这个计谋只是在线广告业受到蒙骗——或者故作不知——的多种欺诈行为之一。

“We have already identified at least one other large and wholly distinct botnet – targeting a wholly distinct cluster of websites,” Mr de Jager added.“我们已识别了至少另一个大规模及完全不同的僵尸网络，针对一个完全不同的网站集群，”德耶格补充说。

Spider.io did not disclose the names of the site owners, but suggested they may either control the botnets themselves or purchased the “traffic” from its operators.Spider.io并未透露这些网站所有者的名称，但暗示，他们可能要么自己在操控僵尸网络，要么向僵尸网络的运行者购买“流量”。

The issue highlights the complexities of the internet advertising business, raising new questions about the controls put in place by ad technology providers.这个问题突显互联网广告业务的复杂性，给广告技术提供商的控制机制带来了新问题。

The Chameleon botnet also demonstrates the ever-changing tactics of cyber criminals. Networks of hijacked computers have previously been used to knock a website offline, with botnet operators sometimes demanding a ransom to bring it back, or to collect large numbers of credit card details.“变色龙”僵尸网络还显示了网络罪犯的手段在不断变化。以往，由被劫持的电脑构成的网络被用于攻击某个网站，使其瘫痪(僵尸网络的运行者有时要求得到一笔赎金，作为放过该网站的条件)，或者收集大量信用卡资料。

But as online security improves and such attacks become easier to track, botnets are being redirected to “victimless” crimes akin to insurance fraud – where large numbers of people lose small sums of money, with few of them ever realising they have been ripped off.但是，随着在线安全措施的改进，加上此类攻击变得更容易追踪，僵尸网络正转向“无受害者”的犯罪行为，类似于保险欺诈，即很多人损失小额金钱，他们当中几乎没有人意识到自己吃了亏。

Christian Carrillo, a vice-president at DataXu, a digital advertising technology provider, said the fraud may be hard to prosecute even if its perpetrators are tracked down, due to the terms of trade in the online ad business.数字广告技术提供商DataXu副总裁克里斯蒂安•卡瑞罗(Christian Carrillo)表示，在线广告业务的交易条款意味着，即使找到肇事者，这种欺诈也可能难以被提起公诉。