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Russian Hackers Stole Millions a Day With Bots and Fake Sites
The New York Times ^ | DEC. 20, 2016 Continue reading the main storyShare This Page Share Tweet Email More | VINDU GOEL

Posted on 12/20/2016 2:56:06 PM PST by Theo

In a twist on the peddling of fake news to real people, researchers say that a Russian cyberforgery ring has created more than half a million fake internet users and 250,000 fake websites to trick advertisers into collectively paying as much as $5 million a day for video ads that are never watched.

The fraud, which began in September and is still going on, represents a new level of sophistication among criminals who seek to profit by using bots — computer programs that pretend to be people — to cheat advertisers.

“We think that nothing has approached this operation in terms of profitability,” said Michael Tiffany, a co-founder and the chief executive of White Ops, the ad-focused computer security firm that publicly disclosed the fraud in a report on Tuesday.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: bots; fake; hacker; russia
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If you're at all involved in online advertising -- either as a publisher with ads on your website, or as an advertiser/vendor -- this breaking story is HUGE.
1 posted on 12/20/2016 2:56:06 PM PST by Theo
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To: Theo

The NYT is dead to me.


2 posted on 12/20/2016 2:59:33 PM PST by Eddie01
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To: Theo

NYT is not a credible source. Sounds like fake news to reinforce their “Russia hacked the election” meme. Whatever hacking a election means.


3 posted on 12/20/2016 3:00:49 PM PST by hotsteppa
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To: Theo

Crap - one of those ideas of “Why didn’t I think of that!?”

Well, except for the illegal and stealing from someone. But it does seem pretty simple (to a layman like me). I didn’t read the article, but I guess set up lots of various blogs that run the ads on them. Then design software that pretends to be a person clicking on the ad. Then get the royalty or whatever they call it. Any idea how much the blogger makes each ad click? 5 cents maybe???

Just looked it up; “1000 ad impressions earn one dollar”.


4 posted on 12/20/2016 3:03:40 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: Theo

I don’t see how this is stealing. It is perhaps fraud, but it is not theft.


5 posted on 12/20/2016 3:05:59 PM PST by MeganC (Hate crime: The heinous act of disagreeing with a liberal.)
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To: hotsteppa

Yep. That was my impression also

#FakeNews


6 posted on 12/20/2016 3:08:10 PM PST by A_Former_Democrat ("Liberalism is a mental disorder" On FULL Display NOW BOYCOTT PepsiCO Kellogg's)
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To: hotsteppa
> researchers say that a Russian cyberforgery ring has created more than half a million fake internet users

Oh like Valjar did with her 36 staff members when they were making false posts online to sway public opinion the past 8 years

7 posted on 12/20/2016 3:12:12 PM PST by jsanders2001
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To: A_Former_Democrat; hotsteppa

New York Slime Fake News.


8 posted on 12/20/2016 3:14:48 PM PST by Navy Patriot (America, a Rule of Mob nation)
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To: hotsteppa

The NYT is not the source. And this is not at all related to the “Russia hacked the election” meme, as that article clearly stated.

The source is http://www.whiteops.com/methbot


9 posted on 12/20/2016 3:24:58 PM PST by Theo (FReeping since 1998 ... drain the swamp.)
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To: Theo
So did the ‘Russian hackers’ steal from Hillry dollars instead of votes?
10 posted on 12/20/2016 3:26:16 PM PST by Just mythoughts (Jesus said Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: Theo

All complete BS. Not even worth finishing reading.


11 posted on 12/20/2016 3:55:42 PM PST by MarMema ("you can't make up...a constitutional right to a recount" Beloved Mi AG Bill Schuette)
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To: hotsteppa

So Russian hackers, who were some of the most sophisticated on the Planet before Obama was even elected, are now to be pooh-poohed because of Hillary. What a plan.


12 posted on 12/20/2016 3:58:48 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: Theo

Halperin: ‘Russian Troops’ Kept Hillary From Going to Wisconsin

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2016/12/20/halperin-russian-troops-kept-hillary-from-going-to-wisconsin/


13 posted on 12/20/2016 4:01:45 PM PST by combat_boots (God bless Israel and all who protect and defend her! And please, God, bless the USA again.)
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To: Theo

“Russian cyberforgery ring has created more than half a million fake internet users and 250,000 fake websites to trick advertisers into collectively paying as much as $5 million a day for video ads that are never watched.”

Didn’t Facebook just adMIT to a ‘problem’ that inflated the number of viewers to the ads? Oh wait! That would be real News!


14 posted on 12/20/2016 4:02:54 PM PST by Tallguy
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To: Theo

“Russian cyberforgery ring has created more than half a million fake internet users and 250,000 fake websites to trick advertisers into collectively paying as much as $5 million a day for video ads that are never watched.”

Didn’t Facebook just admit to a ‘problem’ that inflated the number of viewers to their ads? Oh wait! That would be real News!


15 posted on 12/20/2016 4:04:08 PM PST by Tallguy
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To: Theo

Let’s see...
Yesterday’s news was that the Russians hacked the election.
Today’s news is that the Russians are using bots.
News is from NYT. ROFL. They are to be believed? ROFL.
My comment:
Leave those poor Russians alone!

What will the Russians be blamed for tomorrow?


16 posted on 12/20/2016 4:06:23 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: 1_Rain_Drop

If only the Chinese had done it. I’d expect at least a few FReepers to be moody about it it, instead of falling over themselves to make excuses.


17 posted on 12/20/2016 4:09:50 PM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: Theo

It’s the New York Times....how would they know? The NYT never noticed Stalin’s forced starvation of Russians, so, like how would they know?


18 posted on 12/20/2016 4:13:33 PM PST by captain_dave
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To: Theo

Now we know why Podesta and Hillary are mad and Jill Stein had to raise all that money.


19 posted on 12/20/2016 4:26:48 PM PST by OrioleFan (Republicans believe every day is July 4th, Democrats believe every day is April 15th.)
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To: combat_boots
On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Bloomberg Politics Managing Editor Mark Halperin joked that “Russian troops on the Iowa-Wisconsin border” “kept Hillary Clinton from going in.”

That was the Packers front line, actually.

20 posted on 12/20/2016 4:35:26 PM PST by Fedora
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