Kloaker

Kloaker is a term used primarily in the context of online advertising and web development to refer to a malicious technique or software. It involves redirecting users to unwanted or harmful websites without their explicit consent. This redirection often occurs automatically when a user visits a legitimate website that has been compromised or is intentionally displaying cloaked advertisements. The primary goal of cloaking is to deceive users and search engines by presenting different content to each. For instance, a user might see a seemingly normal webpage, but the cloaker redirects them to a page laden with malware, phishing scams, or aggressive advertising. Search engine crawlers, on the other hand, might see the original, clean content, thus avoiding detection and penalties. This practice is considered unethical and is a violation of advertising platform policies and search engine guidelines. It can damage the reputation of legitimate websites and harm users by exposing them to security risks. Detecting and removing cloaker code is a significant challenge for website administrators and cybersecurity professionals.