Clicksploitation: How Fraudsters Exploit AdTech & What You Can Do

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Presented at BSidesAugusta 2025 by

Sharon Martin

In a digital economy where every click counts, adversaries have found a lucrative attack surface: online advertising. In this fast-paced, data-backed session, we’ll expose how fraudsters use emulators, botnets, spoofed domains, and rogue mobile apps to siphon billions from ad networks—often going undetected. Known as click fraud or invalid traffic, this growing threat not only wastes marketing spend but also inflates KPIs, distorts procurement decisions, and introduces cybersecurity risk through compromised ad placements. Attendees will: - Understand the tactics behind ad fraud, including real-world breakdowns of operations like Methbot and Vastflux. - Learn how fraudsters manipulate platforms like Google and Microsoft to profit from fake engagement. - Discover how click fraud intersects with cybersecurity, insider threat, and contractor oversight. - Walk away with strategies to recognize and mitigate clicksploitation. Whether you're in charge of digital strategy, cyber defense, or compliance reporting, this session will arm you with the tools to recognize fraudulent patterns, reduce wasted spend, and defend against a threat hiding in plain sight.