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Manual DF™ Cheat Analyzer
Help TopicsMain menu
System settings
Installation of the system counter
Installing counter and setting up click tracking
Installing a hidden link
Traffic valuation parameters
GeoIP database import
Traffic analysis at several sites
Main menu
Main menu guarantees quick access to the basic functions of the system and contains statistics.
Menu options:
Settings - system settings, the section where the parameters responsible for the operation of the system are specified.
Parameters - the section specifying the highlight of values in statistics and the parameters, according to which the valuation of traffic indices is carried out.
Change password - change of the system administrator's password.
Banned countries & languages - black list of surfers' countries and languages.
Cheat log - viewing the cheat log.
Error log - viewing the error log.
Display of statistics.
There are hints available for all statistics menu items and traffic values. In the hints for the table of traffic values the numerator contains the percentage of a given traffic characteristic in the trader’s unique traffic and the denominator - the difference between the given traffic characteristic and the standard (average) value (per cent). The standard value is set in the Parameters section - separate value should be set for each of the traffic characteristics. The calculation of the indices and the percentage of traffic characteristics is based on trader’s unique traffic amount.
Display of statistics has the following parameters:
- the period of time for which the statistics is collected;
- minimum number of hits for a trader displayed in statistics;
- sorting of traders by some of the traffic characteristics or by some traffic index.
Options for the highlight of values in statistics are also available. The parameters used are: which index is highlighted (requirements and standard values are taken into account) and the significance of highlighted values (during the display of significant values only, the neglected difference between the current and the given traffic characteristic values gets calculated). The highlight of values in statistics shows the difference between the current traffic characteristic values and the given ones. When only the significant values are highlighted, one may see the traffic characteristic values that affect the given traffic index. There may be several reasons due to which a value in statistics can be highlighted as a small one:
- the trader didn’t get enough unique hits and do not participate in the calculation of indices;
- the value of the traffic characteristic is too small to be taken into consideration when evaluating the traffic;
- the value of the traffic characteristic exceeds the one set by the requirements (the value is higher than the standard one).
The correspondence of highlight colors and the difference value is set in the Parameters section.
Basic traffic features.
Hit uniqueness - number of unique visitors forwarded to the resource by a trader in a stated period of time.
The system distinguishes between two types of hit uniqueness: uniqueness in relation to total amount of traffic at the resource (Uniq All) and uniqueness in relation to the total amount of traffic forwarded by a trader (Uniq Trd.). When defining the hit uniqueness in relation to total amount of traffic at the resource (traffic forwarded by all traders), each recurring visitor will be regarded as non-unique. When defining the hit uniqueness in relation to total amount of traffic by a certain trader, each recurring visitor will be regarded as unique in case he had been forwarded to the site by another trader on his previous visit.
The period of time after which each recurring trader will be regarded as unique may vary. The system offers two periods of time for which the uniqueness of hits can be estimated - current period (the time of uniqueness that can be specified in system settings) and a month (30 days). Hit uniqueness for a current period shows how many unique hits were forwarded by traders within a limited period of time (24 hours). Current uniqueness may be used to help you figure out if the circuit of traffic among the sites is closed or not (how often the surfers get forwarded to one and the same site). Monthly uniqueness may be used to judge about the regularity of visits. In case your site does not have a fixed number of regular users (the sites that people add to their favorites and visit regularly: forums, chats, blogs, dating sites, etc), you can notice the generation of fake traffic by botnets (botnet) and other programs (clickers) using the same list of proxies.
Hit uniqueness gets determined by different means: by IP, by cookies, by computer ID - none of these means can be called absolutely precise. Determination of hit uniqueness by IP and cookies are the most popular means nowadays. When the estimated hit uniqueness by cookies is lower than that by IP, it means that there are many regular visitors at the site. When the estimated hit uniqueness by cookies is higher than that by IP, it means that there are many visitors that don't have a direct IP that is used to connect to the Internet (for example, the people using company proxies).
The calculation of hit uniqueness by computer ID (Uniq by comp. ID) - the process of determining the uniqueness of visitors by a number of parameters listed in the settings of their computers and browsers (this type of uniqueness doesn't depend on IP and cookies). The calculation is possible only when the visitors use browsers with scripts (JavaScript) turned on. Calculation of uniqueness by computer ID can point at recurring visits by a surfer who has deleted cookie files off his PC and is using an anonymous proxy. At the moment the system checks the computer ID uniqueness only in those visitors who have been listed as unique in the results of checks by IP and cookies. There are two types of uniqueness by computer ID: uniqueness determined by the parameters of the browser used by a particular surfer and the uniqueness determined by the parameters of the operation system used by a particular visitor (doesn't depend on the type of browser used by the surfer). Uniqueness check by parameters of the operation system (OS) is less precise than uniqueness check by parameters of the browser. The uniqueness of traffic by OS parameters should be checked only in case a trader has got a relatively low amount of traffic (about 30-50 hits a day). In case a trader has got a high amount of traffic, you should only resort to the help of uniqueness check by browser parameters.
Proxy - visits by surfers using proxy servers (often used by cheaters to enter the site from another IP). If the percentage of visits from proxy-servers is higher than 10-20%, there’s a high probability that the participant is trying to cheat the system by generating fake traffic. The stability of percentage of proxy-servers should also be taken into account: the amount of traffic from proxy servers increases rapidly if the participant starts generating fake traffic and rapidly decreases when the generation process is over.
Non-anonymous proxy server scanning (Proxy UqT->Scn(m)) - the search of matching real IP surfers using proxy (the matches are determined by an IP database collected throughout the previous month). In case a trader has got a showing higher than that of the other traders, he is most probably a cheater.
Loading of the counter - the number of unique loads (Cntr.Ld) and reloads of the counter (Cntr.ReLd) shows that the browser runs scripts and processes html-code. In case the number of loads is small and the trader has got a high percentage of traffic from proxy-servers along with a large amount of raw traffic, there’s a high probability that the participant is trying to cheat the system by generating fake traffic.
Errors during script runs (Scripts->Err) - attempts to emulate the running of scripts in the browser. The number of errors in running scripts should be equal to zero or have a small value (less than 1%). If the difference between these indices for a given participant and those for other participants is big, this participant may be considered a cheater.
Frames (Frm) - loading of site in frames or the presence of frames at the page containing a system counter. If there are no frames at your site, then your page containing the system counter is loaded in a frame located at the trader's site - in most cases these are hidden frames used to generate fake traffic. To make sure of it, check the trader's site. To do that, enter the trader's page, find frames (FRAME, IFRAME) in the page's html-code and make sure that your site doesn't get loaded in them.
Hidden link hits (HdLk) - the number of hidden link clicks, clicks on the links that are not available to surfers. There shouldn’t be any hidden link clicks since they can only be done by a robot. The system doesn’t take into account the hidden link clicks done by a search bot. If many of the traders have hidden link clicks, it means that the link is not hidden from the surfer well enough and you should change the method of link concealment. Hidden link is one of the most popular means of detecting fake traffic generation - in order to use it you should place the open link at your site according to the instructions provided.
Browser Imitation (BrIm) - the attempt to pass one browser off as another one. The process of revealing traffic generation by this parameter is based on theory, saying that one clicker (click generator) cannot emulate several browsers of different versions. The value of this parameter should be small. If the difference between this index for a given participant and those for other participants is big, this participant may be considered a cheater.
Main menu guarantees quick access to the basic functions of the system and contains statistics.
Menu options:
Settings - system settings, the section where the parameters responsible for the operation of the system are specified.
Parameters - the section specifying the highlight of values in statistics and the parameters, according to which the valuation of traffic indices is carried out.
Change password - change of the system administrator's password.
Banned countries & languages - black list of surfers' countries and languages.
Cheat log - viewing the cheat log.
Error log - viewing the error log.
Display of statistics.
There are hints available for all statistics menu items and traffic values. In the hints for the table of traffic values the numerator contains the percentage of a given traffic characteristic in the trader’s unique traffic and the denominator - the difference between the given traffic characteristic and the standard (average) value (per cent). The standard value is set in the Parameters section - separate value should be set for each of the traffic characteristics. The calculation of the indices and the percentage of traffic characteristics is based on trader’s unique traffic amount.
Display of statistics has the following parameters:
- the period of time for which the statistics is collected;
- minimum number of hits for a trader displayed in statistics;
- sorting of traders by some of the traffic characteristics or by some traffic index.
Options for the highlight of values in statistics are also available. The parameters used are: which index is highlighted (requirements and standard values are taken into account) and the significance of highlighted values (during the display of significant values only, the neglected difference between the current and the given traffic characteristic values gets calculated). The highlight of values in statistics shows the difference between the current traffic characteristic values and the given ones. When only the significant values are highlighted, one may see the traffic characteristic values that affect the given traffic index. There may be several reasons due to which a value in statistics can be highlighted as a small one:
- the trader didn’t get enough unique hits and do not participate in the calculation of indices;
- the value of the traffic characteristic is too small to be taken into consideration when evaluating the traffic;
- the value of the traffic characteristic exceeds the one set by the requirements (the value is higher than the standard one).
The correspondence of highlight colors and the difference value is set in the Parameters section.
Basic traffic features.
Hit uniqueness - number of unique visitors forwarded to the resource by a trader in a stated period of time.
The system distinguishes between two types of hit uniqueness: uniqueness in relation to total amount of traffic at the resource (Uniq All) and uniqueness in relation to the total amount of traffic forwarded by a trader (Uniq Trd.). When defining the hit uniqueness in relation to total amount of traffic at the resource (traffic forwarded by all traders), each recurring visitor will be regarded as non-unique. When defining the hit uniqueness in relation to total amount of traffic by a certain trader, each recurring visitor will be regarded as unique in case he had been forwarded to the site by another trader on his previous visit.
The period of time after which each recurring trader will be regarded as unique may vary. The system offers two periods of time for which the uniqueness of hits can be estimated - current period (the time of uniqueness that can be specified in system settings) and a month (30 days). Hit uniqueness for a current period shows how many unique hits were forwarded by traders within a limited period of time (24 hours). Current uniqueness may be used to help you figure out if the circuit of traffic among the sites is closed or not (how often the surfers get forwarded to one and the same site). Monthly uniqueness may be used to judge about the regularity of visits. In case your site does not have a fixed number of regular users (the sites that people add to their favorites and visit regularly: forums, chats, blogs, dating sites, etc), you can notice the generation of fake traffic by botnets (botnet) and other programs (clickers) using the same list of proxies.
Hit uniqueness gets determined by different means: by IP, by cookies, by computer ID - none of these means can be called absolutely precise. Determination of hit uniqueness by IP and cookies are the most popular means nowadays. When the estimated hit uniqueness by cookies is lower than that by IP, it means that there are many regular visitors at the site. When the estimated hit uniqueness by cookies is higher than that by IP, it means that there are many visitors that don't have a direct IP that is used to connect to the Internet (for example, the people using company proxies).
The calculation of hit uniqueness by computer ID (Uniq by comp. ID) - the process of determining the uniqueness of visitors by a number of parameters listed in the settings of their computers and browsers (this type of uniqueness doesn't depend on IP and cookies). The calculation is possible only when the visitors use browsers with scripts (JavaScript) turned on. Calculation of uniqueness by computer ID can point at recurring visits by a surfer who has deleted cookie files off his PC and is using an anonymous proxy. At the moment the system checks the computer ID uniqueness only in those visitors who have been listed as unique in the results of checks by IP and cookies. There are two types of uniqueness by computer ID: uniqueness determined by the parameters of the browser used by a particular surfer and the uniqueness determined by the parameters of the operation system used by a particular visitor (doesn't depend on the type of browser used by the surfer). Uniqueness check by parameters of the operation system (OS) is less precise than uniqueness check by parameters of the browser. The uniqueness of traffic by OS parameters should be checked only in case a trader has got a relatively low amount of traffic (about 30-50 hits a day). In case a trader has got a high amount of traffic, you should only resort to the help of uniqueness check by browser parameters.
Proxy - visits by surfers using proxy servers (often used by cheaters to enter the site from another IP). If the percentage of visits from proxy-servers is higher than 10-20%, there’s a high probability that the participant is trying to cheat the system by generating fake traffic. The stability of percentage of proxy-servers should also be taken into account: the amount of traffic from proxy servers increases rapidly if the participant starts generating fake traffic and rapidly decreases when the generation process is over.
Non-anonymous proxy server scanning (Proxy UqT->Scn(m)) - the search of matching real IP surfers using proxy (the matches are determined by an IP database collected throughout the previous month). In case a trader has got a showing higher than that of the other traders, he is most probably a cheater.
Loading of the counter - the number of unique loads (Cntr.Ld) and reloads of the counter (Cntr.ReLd) shows that the browser runs scripts and processes html-code. In case the number of loads is small and the trader has got a high percentage of traffic from proxy-servers along with a large amount of raw traffic, there’s a high probability that the participant is trying to cheat the system by generating fake traffic.
Errors during script runs (Scripts->Err) - attempts to emulate the running of scripts in the browser. The number of errors in running scripts should be equal to zero or have a small value (less than 1%). If the difference between these indices for a given participant and those for other participants is big, this participant may be considered a cheater.
Frames (Frm) - loading of site in frames or the presence of frames at the page containing a system counter. If there are no frames at your site, then your page containing the system counter is loaded in a frame located at the trader's site - in most cases these are hidden frames used to generate fake traffic. To make sure of it, check the trader's site. To do that, enter the trader's page, find frames (FRAME, IFRAME) in the page's html-code and make sure that your site doesn't get loaded in them.
Hidden link hits (HdLk) - the number of hidden link clicks, clicks on the links that are not available to surfers. There shouldn’t be any hidden link clicks since they can only be done by a robot. The system doesn’t take into account the hidden link clicks done by a search bot. If many of the traders have hidden link clicks, it means that the link is not hidden from the surfer well enough and you should change the method of link concealment. Hidden link is one of the most popular means of detecting fake traffic generation - in order to use it you should place the open link at your site according to the instructions provided.
Browser Imitation (BrIm) - the attempt to pass one browser off as another one. The process of revealing traffic generation by this parameter is based on theory, saying that one clicker (click generator) cannot emulate several browsers of different versions. The value of this parameter should be small. If the difference between this index for a given participant and those for other participants is big, this participant may be considered a cheater.