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Chais, 1 year ago to privacy in Targeted Ads are a Cybersecurity Risk

All ads are a cybersecurity risk, not just the targeted ones. The targeted ones just offer new and exciting vectors.

Murdoc, 1 year ago

I hate ads more than anyone, but how are all ads a cybersecurity risk? Like say just a posted image that says “Buy (product X)”?

HumanPerson, 1 year ago

Ever downloaded an app off sourceforge without adblock? You or I may not fall for it but in big companies someone will eventually.

Chais, 1 year ago (edited 6 months ago)

I’m not saying it was always the case. Back when ads were just images hosted on the same machine as the rest of the page they were only annoying.
But nowadays even so-called acceptable ads are delivered by third-party servers. So suddenly you have to trust not only the operator of the page you’re visiting but also any advertising partners they use. And since all modern advertising uses a gazillion of metrics that necessitates JavaScript you end up executing code that neither you nor the page operator have any actual need for nor influence on, hoping that the ad network has some sort of vetting process so they don’t end up unwittingly delivering malware.
That’s a tall order in my opinion.