Latest news with #SSAI
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Apollo Exposed: What 400M Fake Ad Requests Reveal About Fraud
Audio advertising is booming. With programmatic audio spend projected to surpass $2 billion in 2025, it's become one of the most promising—and vulnerable—channels in digital media. Where innovation leads, cybercrime follows. And the recent Apollo operation uncovered by HUMAN and The Trade Desk is a case study in just how sophisticated, and damaging, that fraud can be. At its peak, Apollo accounted for 400 million fraudulent bid requests per day, making it the largest audio-related ad fraud scheme ever detected. But what makes Apollo especially troubling isn't just the scale—it's how convincingly it mimicked legitimate traffic, exploited supply chain blind spots, and leveraged malware-infected CTV devices to obscure its origin. I spoke with Will Herbig, senior director for AdTech Fraud Research & Strategic Customer Analytics at HUMAN, about the research. He explained that Apollo preyed on a fundamental weakness in server-side ad insertion, the technology used to serve seamless audio and video ads without interrupting user experience. With SSAI, advertisers receive limited telemetry—often just a user-agent string and an IP address—making it an ideal environment for spoofing. Fraudsters behind Apollo reverse-engineered the ad request flows of legitimate apps, replicating their formats to impersonate real audio ad inventory. They even spoofed apps that shouldn't have been serving audio at all. 'One of the things that sparked this investigation was the question of, why are puzzle apps serving audio ads?' Herbig told me. 'At least in my experience, it's uncommon that a puzzle app or something like that is going to serve an audio ad.' It was a subtle anomaly—but it set off a cascade of deeper analysis that ultimately exposed Apollo's intricate fabrication tactics. Apollo's traffic wasn't generated by infected devices in the traditional sense. Instead, bid requests were fabricated wholesale—generated by script, spoofed to resemble real devices, and funneled through residential proxies to mask their true data center origins. Herbig emphasized that the scale Apollo operated at generated traffic equivalent to a the traffic of a mid-sized city like Stamford, Connecticut. That scale was achieved in part thanks to BADBOX 2.0, a botnet of over a million compromised connected TV devices. Apollo traffickers leveraged BADBOX to route requests through residential IPs, making the traffic appear legitimate and difficult to trace. HUMAN had previously disrupted BADBOX, but its infrastructure was clearly still being exploited. By layering spoofed app identities, forged device configurations, and residential proxy evasion, Apollo's operators built a fraud operation that slipped through many traditional defenses. The real damage, however, was in how Apollo exploited programmatic advertising's fragmented supply chain. Many platforms only validate the final seller in a transaction—a check that Apollo often passed. But those 'authorized' sellers were frequently several layers removed from the spoofed origin. 'There can be non-compliance in earlier parts of the supply chain, and then as you get to later parts, things look valid,' Herbig said. 'Many implementations of these supply chain standards are only checking the last place that came from, so everything that happened before that is kind of out of scope.' This phenomenon—what HUMAN refers to as 'supply chain convergence'—allows spoofed inventory to piggyback on authorized reseller pathways, creating a false sense of legitimacy. It's a loophole that remains dangerously under-policed in today's real-time bidding ecosystem. HUMAN didn't just uncover Apollo—they helped dismantle it. Leveraging a predictive pre-bid scoring engine and an aggressive response strategy, the company saw a 99% reduction in Apollo-associated traffic across its platform. 'We are effectively demonetizing this supply,' Herbig said. 'By reducing the amount of bids that this inventory is getting… we're making it harder and harder for fraudsters to profit.' The broader goal, Herbig explained, is to make ad fraud uneconomical at scale. Each operation disrupted increases the operational cost for cybercriminals. Every layer of complexity—whether it's a disrupted proxy network, stricter supply chain checks, or tighter SDK enforcement—raises the barrier to entry. One of the strongest weapons against operations like Apollo isn't just technology—it's collaboration. HUMAN has leaned heavily into this strategy through its Human Collective, a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at threat sharing and collective protection. According to Herbig, 'One of the great things we're doing is threat sharing. When we are observing concentrations of IBT, we are discussing that with the Human Collective, and we're using it as a forum for collaboration and a forum for discussion.' By sharing intelligence, surfacing patterns, and coordinating responses, HUMAN and its partners are creating a ripple effect across the programmatic ecosystem. The goal isn't to eliminate fraud entirely—it's to tip the cost-benefit equation against the fraudsters. As Herbig put it, 'We're trying to disrupt the economics of cybercrime… to the point that it becomes not worth it.' Apollo is a milestone—not just in the scope of audio ad fraud, but in how the industry responds to it. The findings call for stronger adoption of third-party verification tools like the Open Measurement SDK, more rigorous end-to-end supply path validation, and above all, tighter industry-wide collaboration. Audio may be one of the newest frontiers in ad fraud, but it doesn't have to be the most vulnerable. With vigilance, transparency, and cooperation, the industry has a fighting chance to turn down the noise and restore trust in programmatic audio.
Broadcast Pro
15-04-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
Broadpeak powers OTT monetisation for Malaysia's Media Prima
Media Prima's OTT platform, Tonton, is leveraging Broadpeak's SSAI via the platform to enhance ad delivery and create seamless viewing experiences across multiple live streaming channels. Global content delivery and video streaming solutions provider Broadpeak has partnered with Media Prima Berhad, Malaysia's media company, to transform over-the-top (OTT) monetisation for its fast-growing streaming platform, Tonton. The collaboration centres on Broadpeak's advanced server-side ad insertion (SSAI) technology, delivered via its SaaS platform to drive new revenue streams and elevate user experiences. Through this strategic alliance, Media Prima deploys Broadpeak's dynamic ad insertion solution to seamlessly integrate personalised advertising into Tonton's live and on-demand content. The technology enhances ad delivery across devices, ensuring smooth transitions between content and ads while optimizing viewer engagement and monetisation potential. Gregory Eu, Head of Product of Tonton, Media Prima, said: 'We were looking for a trusted partner to help us future-proof our OTT monetisation capabilities. Broadpeak's dynamic ad insertion service helps us increase revenue potential while giving us the scale and flexibility we need as a nimble organization. Tonton carries Malaysia's leading channels, where advertising inventory has tremendous value and users expect flawless ad experiences. We're excited to continue opening new revenue streams while growing our nation's most-loved, homegrown streaming service.' Tonton, known for carrying top local channels like TV3, benefits from scalable, cloud-based infrastructure. The SSAI integration allows Media Prima to dynamically personalise ad experiences, maximise inventory value and handle peak traffic without additional server demands. Complementing the ad tech solution is Switch Media, which plays a vital role in enhancing Tonton's overall performance through its MediaHQ platform. The platform streamlines video workflows — from content ingestion and management to analytics and distribution — delivering high-quality playback across a variety of devices. Tonton's OTT offering also integrates seamlessly with Springserve, a key Broadpeak ad server partner, ensuring robust ad insertion and reliable monetisation. Mark Johns, CEO of Switch Media, added: 'We're thrilled to support Media Prima Berhad in elevating Tonton's OTT experience. By leveraging our MediaHQ platform, we've enabled a scalable and efficient content workflow that enhances the viewing experience while seamlessly supporting ad integration. It's exciting to see Tonton continue to grow as Malaysia's premier streaming service, and we look forward to further innovation together.' Jacques Le Mancq, President and CEO of Broadpeak, stated: 'It's fantastic to work with market leaders like Media Prima Berhad with a clear vision for growth. Media Prima Berhad is powering a new OTT trajectory and cementing Tonton's position as a national-favorite streaming service with future-ready monetization and agile SaaS technologies. We're also delighted to see our technology partnership with Switch Media enabling seamless market deployment and fast results for our joint customer base across the region.' The partnership highlights a shared commitment to innovation and operational efficiency. With flexible and fully managed SSAI service, Media Prima is well-positioned to scale its OTT operations, deliver engaging viewer experiences and unlock new digital revenue opportunities in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
Broadcast Pro
21-03-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
Amagi and Olyzon to transform CTV advertising with AI formats
The initiative focuses on "in-content" ad formats aimed at engaging viewers beyond traditional ad breaks, including overlays and L-band, which come with Olyzon's exclusive demand. Amagi, a cloud-based SaaS technology provider for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), has announced a strategic collaboration with Olyzon, an AI-driven platform specialising in advanced CTV advertising formats. This partnership aims to streamline the deployment of innovative ad formats, enabling Amagi and Olyzon clients to scale their advertising efforts without requiring additional integrations or third-party vendors. By leveraging Amagi THUNDERSTORM, Amagi's server-side ad insertion (SSAI) platform, this collaboration facilitates seamless fetching and insertion of AI-optimised ad formats developed by Olyzon. The initiative enhances monetisation opportunities for content owners while delivering a high-quality, engaging viewing experience. The partnership specifically focuses on 'in-content' ad formats that go beyond traditional commercial breaks, including overlays and L-band ads, backed by Olyzon's exclusive demand. Srinivasan KA, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Amagi said: 'We are excited to partner with Olyzon to enhance the experience for viewers and advertisers while improving monetization opportunities for streaming content. With six overlays per hour, this collaboration allows advertisers to use diversified ad formats for increased reach.' Jules Minvielle, Co-Founder and CEO of Olyzon, explained: 'This collaboration with Amagi marks a significant milestone for Olyzon. In a fragmented and complex CTV landscape, we are developing solutions that unlock the full potential of connected television and empower advertisers to thrive. Olyzon's unique formats deliver tangible results by driving audience engagement, enhancing brand impact, and increasing publishers' revenue. Our integration with Amagi allows our clients to stand out in this battle for attention with just a few clicks and without technical complexity.' This collaboration transforms CTV advertising by offering powerful, engaging, and easy-to-deploy ad solutions, benefiting both advertisers and publishers. With AI-driven formats and Amagi's SSAI technology, the partnership promises optimised user experiences and incremental revenue generation. Amagi serves a diverse range of clients, including Hearst Networks UK, ABS-CBN, Astro, Cox Media Group, DAZN, Globo, Lionsgate Studio, NBCUniversal, Tastemade and VIZIO, delivering comprehensive solutions for channel creation, distribution, and monetisation.
