The FBI advised Americans to exercise caution when clicking on online advertisements, warning that cybercriminals were using traffic distribution systems to redirect clicks to fraudulent websites.
A traffic distribution system (TDS) is a network that routes internet traffic and acts as an intermediary between a link and the subsequent webpage. Malicious actors use TDSs to steer “internet traffic visitors to different destinations after users visit webpages, click advertisement links, sign up for promotions and discounts, or download an application,” the FBI said in a June 18 public service announcement alert.
“Cyber criminals use TDSs to selectively redirect users to compromised or fake login websites that can host phishing pages for online financial fraud or prompt users to download software updates containing malware.”…