Title: Assessing Capabilities of Advertising as an Intelligence Gathering Tool and Users’ Defenses
Advisors: Yoshi Kohno and Franzi Roesner
Supervisory Committee: Yoshi Kohno (co-Chair), Franzi Roesner (co-Chair), Emma Spiro (GSR, iSchool), and Zach Tatlock
Abstract: User tracking is pervasive on the commercial internet of today. There is a massive tracking and targeting infrastructure built into the commercial websites normal users visit every day; the purpose of this infrastructure is to facilitate targeted advertisements being served to these users based on ever- more precise criteria. However, this intended purpose is not the only end this infrastructure can be used for. Recent malvertisement campaigns - criminal groups using advertising services to host malware - are one example of this. In this dissertation I propose to study what appears to be an unexplored use of the tracking and targeting infrastructure: using targeted advertising to gather intelligence (ADINT). Like malvertising, this work seeks to leverage the existing infrastructure of advertising for alternative purposes, while remaining low- cost and convenient for individuals or small groups to utilize. In addition, I investigate the possible defenses users can employ to prevent tracking, and thus prevent these alternative uses of the infrastructure as well.