Reports of Malware and Virus Advertisements

Keeping deviantART safe

DeviantART strives to provide all our members with a safe and fun environment to grow and create.  This includes setting guidelines and having standards for the kinds of banner ads displayed on the site.  We do not allow ads that auto-play audio, contain pop-ups or redirects, and certainly do not allow nefarious ads that promote virus or malware activity.

We hate bad ads as much you do and take the matter very seriously.  We assure you that deviantART is actively tracking down ad networks that are responsible for bad ads and are terminating those relationships.

Protect yourself and help combat the problem

Protect your computer by downloading free anti-virus software, such as AVG or Microsoft Security Essentials, and be sure to keep the software up-to-date.  Also, use a browser that has built-in malware detection.  Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox both include this feature.

Learn how to report bad ads
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What are banner ads, and why does deviantART have them?

Any active Internet user knows about banner ads -- the square or rectangular advertisements that appear on sites across the Web.  This form of online advertising enables sites like deviantART to earn revenue by sending traffic (aka visitors) to advertisers.  The money earned from these ads, viewable to logged-in and logged-out deviants (excluding Premium Members), enables us to bring you bigger and better features, and allows us to maintain and upgrade current ones.

By and large, deviantART is a free site.  We do offer enhanced or extra features for Premium Members, but our core art tools that give deviants the ability to publish and promote their works are free.  While many Internet enthusiasts see banner ads as annoying, the revenue they generate allows sites like us to improve the quality of their services and add new features.

A crash course in network ads

Every month, deviantART serves billions of ads across the site.  While we do employ a small ad sales team who works with premium brands and ad agencies, the bulk of the ads displayed on deviantART are delivered through outside ad networks.  These independent, third-party providers serve ads onto deviantART using a combination of advertisers they have procured themselves, as well as other ad networks they have partnered with.  As stated above, deviantART requires the ad networks we work with to adhere to a strict list of ad quality standards.  If the aforementioned types of bad ads appear, deviantART works to identify the ad network at fault so we can remove the ad, the advertiser, or the entire ad network in question.

Ad networks have become a major part of the online advertising landscape, and it's safe to say a vast majority of the ads you see across the Internet are served from ad networks.  Most networks allow advertisers to purchase ad impressions using self-service platforms and may or may not review the content of the ads before distributing to their publishing partners, such as deviantART.  Even if the ads are reviewed, it's very possible for an advertiser to swap out a good ad with a bad ad, without being caught by the ad network.  This can allow an individual advertiser, with malicious intent, to circumvent the ad review process the ad networks undergo for new advertisers.

How you can help

Ad networks are constantly improving their monitoring and scrubbing technologies to prevent bad ads from running through their systems.  Unfortunately, identifying bad ads is often a difficult process, but there are ways you can protect yourself and help combat the problem.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a government agency tasked with protecting public health and safety.  In times of crisis, the CDC utilizes the idea of "shared responsibility" -- they acknowledge their role in keeping the public safe and well-informed, but pass some of the responsibility in the form of preparedness back to the public.  It's with this concept in mind that we ask deviants to arm themselves in the fight against viruses and malware.

• Protect your computer by downloading free anti-virus software, such as AVG or Microsoft Security Essentials, and be sure to keep the software up-to-date.
• Use a browser that has built-in malware detection.  Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox both include this feature.
• Deviants who want to go the extra mile can help us identify bad ads.

Download AVG
Download Microsoft Security Essentials
Report bad ads

We're in this together

These types of bad ads affect all major publishers on the Internet, not just deviantART.  Google has reported that malware attacks on the web, such as fake anti-virus programs, are a growing threat and they've seen "an upward trend" in the amount they encounter each week.  Preventing these types of ads is easier said than done.  Rest assured that we take this issue very seriously and are doing everything we can to thwart the problem. We vigorously oppose bad ads, as they severely hinder one's deviantART experience -- an experience that we're constantly shaping and refining. Please know that this is one of our primary focuses at this time. Aside from what we've mentioned here, we're also investigating other solutions so that we can be even more proactive in the fight against malware and viruses -- including working with other social networks to share relevant information and building relationships with Internet security firms.  Thank you for taking the time to arm yourself with the knowledge to combat any malicious attacks in the future.

    

Our Ongoing Battle Against Malicious Ads

We're taking these concerns seriously

DeviantART takes all concerns on this topic very seriously and immediately implemented a number of changes to reduce the chance those type of ads would get served by our ad partners. These initial steps worked well, and we saw an instant drop in the number of instances and complaints from the community. However, we knew the fight wasn't over, so we've spent the last few months hard at work to build even greater defenses against those who run malicious ads on deviantART and elsewhere. We want to share a few of the initiatives under way, but because those people who spread malicious advertising are pretty savvy, we need to keep much of our work in stealth mode. You'll have to trust us that we're working behind the scenes to fight this issue on numerous fronts.

First...

The first major step we took was hiring a third-party company to review our ads on an ongoing basis. This service looks at the ads on our pages and analyzes its source, as well as the ad itself. If the returning ad is anything that could be used to deliver a virus, malware, or evilness to your computer, it's flagged, and deviantART administrators are alerted instantly. Steps are then taken to remove the ad partner responsible for the bad ad, and a full review of how the bad ad made it into the rotation is conducted with the responsible ad partners. This service is a great monitoring and detection tool that should continue to limit malicious ad attacks in the future.

Second...

The second step we've taken was to become a member of a trade organization dedicated to preventing these sort of attacks. The Online Trust Alliance is an overarching group of companies dedicated to preventing and fighting all malicious activities that occur on the Web — from spam and identification theft, to bank fraud and malvertising. As a member of the O.T.A., deviantART is learning firsthand the scope of the bad ads issue, while also helping to shape industry standards to stamp out many of these threats to all Internet users. DeviantART's involvement in this organization will help us stay at the forefront of bad ad blocking and elimination.

Third...

And lastly, Devious Technology has been hard at work on a tool that will better allow us to identify and block ads that auto-play audio. We're really excited about the tool and have been testing it internally. If all continues to go well, we're considering distributing it on a wider basis.

In conclusion...

These steps, along with other efforts that are already under way, should create a safer and more enjoyable experience for all deviantART members and visitors. We've made great progress over the past few months, and we'll keep hard at work to ensure a safe and friendly user experience on deviantART.

 

Learn more

Learn how to report bad ads
View the previous news article about viruses/malware