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ASN-Unique Identifier

ASN stands for Autonomous System Number.

Think of it as the internet's version of a "postal code" for a large network.

This unique number is assigned to a large group of IP addresses all operated by a single entity, such as:

• An Internet Service Provider (ISP) like Comcast or Verizon.
• A hosting company like Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud.
• A large university or corporation.

Its General Purpose

On the global internet, ASNs are fundamental to how traffic is routed.

They allow these large, independent networks to announce their presence and efficiently exchange data with each other, forming the backbone of the internet.

Why the ASN is Crucial for Fraud Detection

For fighting click fraud, analyzing the ASN is incredibly powerful.

While a fraudster can easily change their individual IP address, it is much harder for them to change their entire network provider (the ASN).

This provides several key advantages:

Identifying Bad Neighborhoods: Certain ASNs, particularly those belonging to data centers or hosting providers known for lax security, are notorious sources of bot traffic. By identifying the ASN, we can spot a visitor coming from a known "bad neighborhood.

Detecting Coordinated Attacks: If we see a pattern of suspicious clicks coming from many different IP addresses, but they all resolve to the same ASN, it's a strong signal of a large-scale bot attack originating from that single network.

Durable, Proactive Blocking: Blocking an entire malicious ASN is a much broader and more effective form of protection than blocking constantly changing IP addresses one by one. It allows us to proactively stop fraud from a known source. 

In summary, analyzing the ASN allows us to move beyond chasing single IPs and instead identify and block entire malicious networks, providing a more robust and scalable defense against click fraud.