The Gatecrasher Protocol
Fraudulent attribution rarely starts with a virus it starts with Adware and Shopping Plugins. Users voluntarily install coupon finders or price comparison extensions that promise value but operate as silent commission hijackers in the background.
Intercepting the User Journey
When a user navigates Directly to your store or arrives via Organic Search, these plugins trigger a background click to an affiliate link. This forces a cookie drop milliseconds before the landing page loads, ensuring the affiliate steals the Last Click credit for a sale you already earned.
These Adware tools are engineered to stay dormant until they detect a high value brand URL. Once the match is found, they fire a pixel drop or hidden iframe, effectively stuffing your attribution logs with false signals that look like legitimate partner referrals.
Why Audit Matters
Protect Organic ROI
Cookie stuffing creates an illusion that affiliates are driving growth, while they are actually siphoning credit from your Direct and SEO efforts.
Stop Adware Scaling
Without an external audit, you are inadvertently funding the development of more aggressive Shopping Plugins that target your customer base.
Forensic Truth
Standard trackers only see the cookie they don't see the Adware that dropped it. VirusPositive identifies the Zero Click injection to provide grounds for commission reversal.