CleanTap Says It Easily Fooled Programmatic Tech With Spoofed CTV Devices | AdExchanger

"CleanTap jury-rigged a Raspberry Pi computer and equipped it with a dummy HDMI connection to make it seem as if the device had a display surface like any smart TV. Over the course of 10 days in July, CleanTap sent thousands of bid requests from two distinct IP addresses associated with the device. The result? CleanTap claims that 100% of the invalid traffic it spoofed was accepted into live auctions run by programmatic platforms and was successfully bid on by advertisers."

"A total of 54 different brands purchased ads that were served to CleanTap's spoofed CTV device. Meanwhile, a who's who of publishers and ad tech platforms - including major streaming services, DSPs, SSPs, verification vendors and ad servers - allegedly participated in the auctions. AdExchanger decided not to name any of these companies because the IVT was manufactured rather than uncovered by CleanTap."

"The report claims CleanTap was able to track events and web request logs associated with auctioning and serving ads to its spoofed device. But it's unclear from the report whether advertisers were ultimately charged for the impressions. According to the report, CleanTap saw evidence that although third-party verification and analytics vendors flagged the impressions as invalid, programmatic platforms still allowed ads to be delivered and transacted. It's unclear from the report whether the invalid impressions were caught by pre-bid or post-bid verification solutions."

CleanTap jury-rigged a Raspberry Pi with a dummy HDMI to mimic a smart TV and sent thousands of bid requests over 10 days from two IP addresses. One hundred percent of the spoofed invalid traffic was accepted into live programmatic auctions and was bid on by advertisers. Fifty-four brands purchased ads served to the spoofed device, and major streaming services, DSPs, SSPs, verification vendors and ad servers allegedly participated in the auctions. Third-party verification and analytics vendors flagged the impressions as invalid, yet programmatic platforms still allowed delivery and transactions. It remains unclear whether advertisers were charged or whether pre-bid or post-bid verification caught the invalid impressions.

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