Category: Web site

Why website should Hide their Affiliate links

Paul2 Replies

Yes you heard me right, lately I’ve been trying to figure out why some of my click were not used in my links. So I went to Google to find the answer. I found the answer to some of this. According to some other websites 40% of affiliate links are stolen or switched with spammers and scammer who are trying to make money. You see the virus writers have been trying to make money with there Fake Antivirus software and they will do anything to earn money. I have also though about how people would boost they have made Millions from Affiliate links and that is where this stilling would happen.

How to make your Affiliate links look like they come from your site:

I decided the easiest way to prevent link theft is create a directory called “go” and then used the program Profit Protector to encrypt and hide my affiliate links.  Then all you have to do is upload the created html file to the “go” directory. for Example:

http://www.affiliatesite.com/product.html?affid=1234

changes to

http://www.mysite.com/go/affiliatesite.html

Now all you have to do is change all your links like the example above and you would use the “http://www.mysite.com/go/affiliatesite.html” for your active link.  This would help reduce programs from stealing your affiliate links with there own.

Has this help my affiliate links?

I would say a most definately yes.   I have been watching the click through rates through my affiliates menu and see a drastic change of people downloading or having a user session with my affiliate links.   I also think this will increase my commission pay out because now people can follow through and buy a product without knowing they have left my site.

Now I won’t argue the ethics of this system because I have worked hard at finding the right affiliates for my niche but in the end, I have no regrets.   I feel this is what I have to make sure my efforts pay off.   After all I’ve done the reviews and that is my payment for doing the reviews.   What do you think?  Is this something you have to do or have done?

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Computer Security : How you get infected with Malware?

Paul

I have had several people how they get infected in the past few weeks and I have scoured the internet to try to come up with some answers.   There are several ways to get infected and we will discuss them all here.   In case someone wants to get a better idea on how to avoid these commons ways of infections

What is an Exploit?

This by nature is the first thing we need to discuss because exploits are most common with Malware due to the fact that they like to use them to gain control over an Application or computer.

An Exploit is a piece of software, a chunk of data, or sequence of commands that take advantage of a bug, glitch or vulnerability in order to cause unintended or unanticipated behavior to occur on computer software, hardware, or something electronic (usually computerized). This frequently includes such things as violently gaining control of a computer system or allowing privilege escalation or a denial of service attack.

[Via Wikipedia]

Now it can come from several vectors that I know of and it doesn’t just have to be one but has to have several different programs running to happen.   You see malware authors like to write code to crash your system in a way.   Just like a Remote Code Execution, when they run the code it does something to the computer to make it install software without the users knowledge or permission.  When Remote Code execution happens it is most commonly used to take control over a computer process where the program is located in memory or on the hard drive.

Opening a PDF

As you explore the internet you may come across sites with PDF’s that are there to hide there true nature.   Just like the H1N1 Virus that is epidemic in the US,  Malware authors are using PDF to run a number of possible exploits on people computer.  There are a number of exploits that can be used in PDF and even examples for those who want to understand it even more.   It however means you should turn off auto-load PDFs in your browser.  Any browser will auto load PDFS without having to open a new session it will load in your browser without as much of a warning.

Fake files name

I don’t know what else to call this but you get an email with what looks like it is a picture but that isn’t always true.   For example you would get a email from a friend and it says it is a document and may look like documentname.doc.exe  which will also use an ICON that looks like a document and may fool you.  See the Hidden File extensions that need to be fixed in Windows 7 for examples of what I mean.

Fake Codecs

Codecs are a necessity to view videos but most often are not real.  [intlink id=”2991″ type=”post”]Fake Codecs[/intlink] are a way to get you to install malware when you actually think it is a codec.  Install fake codecs can lead to trojans, virus, or even key loggers.  I’ve talked abut this from time to time but figure it would be good to remind people about this.

Installing Fake Antivirus Software

Sometimes you may get to a [intlink id=”3964″ type=”post”]site that may look like it is a real antivirus[/intlink] but it in reality is a [intlink id=”3713″ type=”post”]scam and will scare[/intlink] you into buying there product.   Sometimes the [intlink id=”3114″ type=”post”]Scareware will say you are infected and send you a file to run to help protect you,[/intlink] if that ever happens don’t run it.   You should never run programs from sites that you have never heard of.    Always go to trusted vendors first or at least Google for the product name before you install any questionable software.

Website tries to use web Browser exploits

Just like WebAttacker uses scripts to try to exploit several different known exploits in IE and other such Browsers.   This is the most common way to get virus or trojans to be install into a computer.   That is why I will always recommend getting away from IE and running Firefox or some other low profile web browser

Windows Up to Date

It is very important to keep you Windows System up to date. That said you got to understand that if you don’t keep your system up to date there will always be an increasing possibility of getting an infection. Due to the fake that malware authors right after Patch Tuesday will know exactly how to exploit a system that hasn’t updated there windows system to current. Install Service packs and other patches is the one way to keep malware authors at bay.

In one of my next posts I will recommend software to use to help prevent some of this or even how to disable some of the most common exploits.   If you like this post please feel free and tell you friends so they may also learn more about Computer Security.

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Don’t take it personal, It’s just a Fake Antivirus

Paul

So We come back to a few more examples of Personal Antivirus Scareware sites:

personalantivirus3

So I say don’t take it personal because you probably have those scareware pop ups saying you have a virus. If that is the case paying these fake Antivirus gangs money will not protect your computer. Here are a list of Sites that are Rogue Antivirus:

  • antivirusonlinescanv9.com ([intlink id=”3607″ type=”post”]Personal Antivirus scareware[/intlink])

  • checkyoupconlinev2.com ([intlink id=”3607″ type=”post”]Personal Antivirus scareware[/intlink])

  • 2009antivirpro.com ([intlink id=”3805″ type=”post”]Antivirus System Pro Scareware[/intlink])

  • avremover-pro.com ([intlink id=”3805″ type=”post”]Antivirus System Pro Scareware[/intlink])

  • aviremover-2009.com ([intlink id=”3805″ type=”post”]Antivirus System Pro Scareware[/intlink])

  • antivir-prof.com ([intlink id=”3805″ type=”post”]Antivirus System Pro Scareware[/intlink])

  • antiaware-pro.com ([intlink id=”3805″ type=”post”]Antivirus System Pro Scareware[/intlink])

I call these sites Scareware because there is usually some warning or popup saying you have a virus or a trojan, or even saying something like system alert. You will usually see something like a shield or eve times when the Rogue Antivirus will load up there fake page.  Be sure to check out some of my [intlink id=”2205″ type=”page”]Antivirus[/intlink] Suggestions and decide for yourself.

Remember these fake sites only thrive when you let them.

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Misconceptions of Affiliate Marketing

Paul

Earlier today I was chatting with Mike Smith, from Miketechshow.com. Mike was saying how unreliable it is to have links being displayed on his site. He also talked about how he wasn’t making a lot from those links. He also talked about wanting a sponsor and not affiliates.  I say if he could affiliate market on his podcast he’d start earning money.   So I figured I would offer some great tips to get the Click through conversion rates that work for me:

  • Cater to Your Nich market — If you don’t know you audience how can you know what they are looking for.   Having a site for famous Gossip could cater to Clothes and Jewerly.  This is the first thing you ned to do to start making some kind of money from affiliate marketing.

  • Keep reminding your Audience about your Market — Like Me I keep reminding people about all those good [intlink id=”2205″ type=”page”]Anti-virus software[/intlink] that can be valuable.  To get people to click on your link you sometimes have to remind them that it is there.   This helps get a residue income from your niche audience.

  • Recommendations do create sales —  if you recommend a product that creates click through and creating a trust between the writer and the Readers.  This gives the readers a reason to come back and stay a while.   If they start trusting you that means they will may click on other recommendations.

  • Create a affiliate sneeze page —  This sounds nasty but having affiliate links on specials in your niche market helps drive traffic to your links.   Like I have a page for [intlink id=”2740″ type=”page”]Cricket Specials[/intlink], it helps keep people coming back and buying through you because it makes it easy to find what they want.

These are just a few that have worked for me there are vast number of websites talking about Affiliates and why they will not work or they talk about making millions.   There are truths in everything you read weather you read comments that affiliate don’t work but that is a misconception because those who say that are people who don’t really understand it or grasp it.    If you aren’t seeing the big picture or thinking a few years down the road then you will never make any substantial amount of money from Affiliate marketing.

There are a lot of techneaks that people use to get more affiliate sales or commision but it is something you have to do and consider the reprocutions of some of these actions.   I talk about email spam, although, 12 percent of people  have opened this is bad practice for affiliates because this create a bad taste in consumers mouth.  This also hurts other people who are trying to get clicks because of the bad taste that prevents those consumers from clicking and maybe create a negative public relations.

Do it right and you could create a great market place for your audience and also create income that keeps coming every month.

Fighting ‘Scareware’ One List at a time

Paul

Techworld has published an article that describes how the AV Vendors are compiling a Whitelist of AV Vendors who are really trying to keep there users safe and not trying to ‘[intlink id=”3805″ type=”post”]Scare[/intlink]’ the user into buying a rogue look a like.  They’ve published a Preliminary set of real Antivirus Softwares along with there Company:

CCSSParticpiation

As you can see there are at least to that are not listed.  I’ve contacted [intlink id=”3884″ type=”post”]SUPERAntiSpyware[/intlink] about this and they turned right around and started to ask to be added and should be Added in the coming months.   The other is [intlink id=”3851″ type=”post”]Malwarebytes[/intlink] and I am hoping they jump aboard and get in contact with this forum.

The Guys over at [intlink id=”3884″ type=”post”]SUPERAntiSpyware[/intlink] were really grateful that I came across this.   This list will soon help fight the [intlink id=”3918″ type=”post”]SCAREWARE Tactics[/intlink] of the Cyber Criminals.   Truth of the matter is educating oneself and doing a little bit of research can help you determine if the program or company is real or just another rogue company out there.   If your looking for some good Antivirus Software check out my [intlink id=”2205″ type=”page”]Antivirus Page[/intlink] and see some of the FREE Antivirus Software out there that can help protect your system.