EX.CO and GeoEdge partner to combat video malvertising with real-time ad protection that shields publishers from auto-redirects and keeps revenue streams secure.
Publishers have enough to juggle without worrying about sketchy ads sneaking in through video inventory. But with malvertising on the rise — especially those sneaky auto-redirects infecting VAST tags — EX.CO and GeoEdge are joining forces to shut it down.
This partnership is grounded in ad quality to safeguard user trust and ensure publishers’ revenue keeps flowing without the hassle of bad ads ruining the party.
Why This Partnership Matters Now
Once considered a haven for publishers, video is experiencing a rising share of malvertising. As GeoEdge uncovered in Q4 2023, malicious redirects are making their way into premium video ad units. If publishers don’t get ahead of it now, it will be open season for bad actors.
GeoEdge Chief Business Officer, Tobias Silber explains the growing urgency:
“In early 2024, GeoEdge uncovered a global malvertising threat deploying auto-redirects in video ads to deliver malicious payloads. To protect user safety across programmatic channels, we introduced a real-time, player-level defense that intercepts these attacks. EX.CO’s network now benefits from secure, high-impact video experiences that build trust and drive revenue.”
EX.CO’s CEO and co-founder Tom Pachys shared:
“We see it as our responsibility to help publishers tackle current and new threats. We’ve been employing pre- auction invalid traffic filtering to reduce clawbacks, frequently training our machine-learning-based models to reduce activity with suspicious buyers, and more. Our Fraud Analysis Team recently spotted an increase in malvertising coming from well-known, trusted demand sources. By using GeoEdge, we can guarantee a smooth video experience for the user, better site and page protection for the publisher, and efficient auctions that increase revenue.”
With 1 in 75 ad impressions showing malicious behavior and automated redirects running wild, the time for a solution couldn’t be more imminent.
Malvertising Hits Video: What You Need to Know
Earlier this year, AdMonsters reported how bad actors like ScamClub breached video channels with malicious VAST and VPAID tags. What once seemed like isolated attacks have now escalated, with scammers injecting malicious redirects into video ads, no matter how long a user watches.
The mechanics of the scam are as sophisticated as they are annoying:
- Fingerprinting: Attackers use fingerprinting on the client and server sides to dodge detection.
- Obfuscation: Malicious code is hidden within video tags to avoid being flagged.
- Auto-redirects: Users are rerouted to phishing sites, posing as system updates or antivirus prompts.
And these attacks aren’t just coming from shady ad networks, they’re now infiltrating well-known demand sources, meaning even publishers relying on trusted partners are at risk.
Securing the Future of Video Ad Monetization
Video is one of the biggest revenue drivers for publishers, but that will only remain that way if the ad experience stays smooth and secure. GeoEdge’s player-level integration with EX.CO does exactly that by applying real-time protection to block auto-redirects before they wreak havoc.
Users won’t stick around once they encounter sketchy ads on a site. And fewer eyeballs means less ad revenue. Publishers need protection for their audiences and revenue. Partnering with GeoEdge enables EX.CO to ensure better ad quality while future-proofing publishers’ video strategies.
A Call to Action for Publishers
If you think malvertising in video advertising is just a blip on the radar; it isn’t. As GeoEdge’s Director of Product Marketing Yuval Shiboli warned us recently, publishers need to harden their tech stacks across the board.
This EX.CO and GeoEdge partnership sets a new standard for video ad security, showing that seamless ad experiences and airtight protection aren’t mutually exclusive.
It’s time for publishers to secure their video ad supply chain. Because once users are hit with a malicious redirect, the damage is done. And the last thing any publisher needs is a high-revenue video unit to become a playground for fraudsters.