Patent ID: 8607338

Claim:
A method comprising: using one or more computers, testing an advertisement at a non-active time to obtain a first set of information identifying a first set of behavioral characteristics associated with the advertisement, a non-active time being a time at which the advertisement is not available for serving to users; using one or more computers, storing the first set of information; using one or more computers, testing the advertisement at an active time to obtain a second set of information identifying a second set of behavioral characteristics associated with the advertisement, an active time being a time at which the advertisement is available for serving to users; using one or more computers, storing the second set of information; using one or more computers, comparing the first set of information with the second set of information to determine at least whether there is a difference between the behavioral characteristics of the advertisement at the non-active time and the behavioral characteristics of the advertisement at the active time; using one or more computers, storing a third set of information at least identifying the determination of at least whether there is a difference; and using one or more computers, if it is determined that there is a difference between the behavioral characteristics of the advertisement at the non-active time and the behavioral characteristics of the advertisement at the active time, then conducting at least one action reflecting a determination that the advertisement is more likely to be malicious than if it had been determined that there is not a difference between the behavioral characteristics of the advertisement at the non-active time and the behavioral characteristics of the advertisement at the active time.