Anyone know if there's a host file blacklist for malicious domains only? Most of the ones I've seen block all ads.
The first time I experienced a malicious ad in Spotify on my Linux machine, I started blocking them via my hosts file [1]. I was only hoping to block malicious sites but it ended up giving me a completely ad-free experience in Spotify.
As a free user I accept that I will be exposed to ads in exchange for not paying for the service, but they seriously need to do a better job vetting for malicious ads.
Malicious advertisements are served off of normal ad distribution networks, which is what gives them their power - they're being hosted using the normal process, not from anybody new or special. The server used for the malware is disposable and ephemeral. Vetting advertisements would interfere with the real-time auction process, so nobody does any more than is required.
You can use the malware domains blacklist [1]. It can be applied through uBlock Origin or as a hosts blacklist if you process the file.
Although I personally treat ads as a malware vector and block them. Hopefully I don't get banned from Spotify as I'm a paying customer. If I do, I'll switch to another platform.
The first time I experienced a malicious ad in Spotify on my Linux machine, I started blocking them via my hosts file [1]. I was only hoping to block malicious sites but it ended up giving me a completely ad-free experience in Spotify.
As a free user I accept that I will be exposed to ads in exchange for not paying for the service, but they seriously need to do a better job vetting for malicious ads.
[1] https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts