Yuku's mining data from our links

[1992casey]

I guess this isn't any surprise, but I thought I'd let you know in the interest of full disclosure--even though Yuku didn't disclose this to us...

 

Yuku has recently implemented a "DrivingRevenue" script. When links to any one of 138 different domains are posted, we're now intercepted and run through a site called outboundlink.net before we reach our final destination.

 

As an example, http://www.priceline.com/ becomes:

 

http://outboundlink.net/out.php?cid=1117&tr=0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.priceline.com%2F&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fbrewersfandemonium.yuku.com%2Ftopic%2F21428

 

outboundlink.net is not inserted into the link code in our posts, nor is it visible when hovering over a link and checking the status bar, nor is it visible in the URL bar when you reach your final destination. It's inserted by the script when the link is clicked and disappears when the page is loaded.

 

Probably more significant than the redirect itself is the fact that some of the redirects are likely to break. As an example, any link to tigerdirect.com ends up directing to a 404 error page.

 

Click on the plus to see the 138 affected domains [+]

'ebay.com', 'amazon.com', 'ebay.co.uk', 'ebay.ca', 'newegg.com',

'cars.com', 'geeks.com', 'musiciansfriend.com', 'bestbuy.com',

'edmunds.com', 'sears.com', 'tigerdirect.com', 'bodybuilding.com',

'ebay.fr', 'auctionads.com', 'shoppingads.com', 'jcwhitney.com',

'autoanything.com', 'autopartswarehouse.com',

'motorcycle-superstore.com', 'buy.com', 'batteries.com',

'4wheelparts.com', 'carfax.com', 'jr.com', 'vanns.com', 'amazon.co.uk',

'bikebandit.com', 'motosport.com', 'ebags.com', 'itunes.apple.com',

'godaddy.com', 'dell.com', 'overstock.com', '4wd.com', 'autobarn.net',

'guitarcenter.com', 'compusa.com', '6ave.com', 'etronics.com',

'partstore.com', 'emusic.com', 'music123.com', 'ticketmaster.com',

'meritline.com', 'mwave.com', 'skype.com', 'abt.com', 'zappos.com',

'ritzcamera.com', 'borders.com', 'officedepot.com',

'autosportcatalog.com', 'sedo.com', 'zipzoomfly.com', 'www.web.com',

'onsale.com', 'hotels.com', 'pcconnection.com', 'streetsideauto.com',

'macmall.com', 'thenerds.net', 'advanceautoparts.com', 'ecost.com',

'hammacher.com', 'autopartsgiant.com', 'abesofmaine.com',

'drugstore.com', 'gnc.com', '1and1.com', 'networksolutions.com',

'fandango.com', 'all-battery.com', 'amazon.ca', 'bhphotovideo.com',

'dotster.com', 'borders.com', 'drivingcomfort.com', 'ebay.com.au',

'ebay.ie', 'ebay.de', 'ebay.es', 'ebay.nl', 'ebay.at', 'ebay.be',

'ebay.ch', 'ebay.it', 'finishline.com', 'leasetrader.com',

'macconnection.com', 'officemax.com', 'peapod.com', 'pcmall.com',

'stubhub.com', 'travelocity.com', 'orbitz.com',

'discountperformanceautoparts.com', 'performance4trucks.com',

'priceline.com', 'paintball-online.com', 'wineenthusiast.com',

'americanmuscle.com', 'jegs.com', 'summitracing.com', 'shoemall.com',

'www.fye.com', '1800petmeds.com', 'autoparts123.com', 'blinds.com',

'dell.ca', 'magazines.com', 'store.nascar.com', 'petsmart.com',

'shop.sirius.com', 'cycle-parts.com', 'hmhd.com', 'allthingsjeep.com',

'autopartsnerd.com', 'eforcity.com', 'onecall.com', 'pcuniverse.com',

'activemusician.com', 'allbikesupershop.com', 'kmart.com',

'realhog.com', 'target.com', 'autogeek.net', 'sheetmusicplus.com',

'partsgeek.com', 'dvdplanet.com', 'shopping.hp.com',

'andysautosport.com', 'jafrum.com', 'play.com', 'johnlewis.com',

'dixons.co.uk', 'comet.co.uk', 'currys.co.uk'

Click on the plus to see the script's source code [+]

function DrivingRevenue() {

var _0x67d6x2 = 0;

var _0x67d6x3 = new Date();

var _0x67d6x4 = _0x67d6x3['getHours']();

var _0x67d6x5 = window['location']['hostname'];

_0x67d6x5 = _0x67d6x5['replace']('www.', '')['toLowerCase']();

var _0x67d6x6 = new Array('ebay.com', 'amazon.com', 'ebay.co.uk', 'ebay.ca', 'newegg.com', 'cars.com', 'geeks.com', 'musiciansfriend.com', 'bestbuy.com', 'edmunds.com', 'sears.com', 'tigerdirect.com', 'bodybuilding.com', 'ebay.fr', 'auctionads.com', 'shoppingads.com', 'jcwhitney.com', 'autoanything.com', 'autopartswarehouse.com', 'motorcycle-superstore.com', 'buy.com', 'batteries.com', '4wheelparts.com', 'carfax.com', 'jr.com', 'vanns.com', 'amazon.co.uk', 'bikebandit.com', 'motosport.com', 'ebags.com', 'itunes.apple.com', 'godaddy.com', 'dell.com', 'overstock.com', '4wd.com', 'autobarn.net', 'guitarcenter.com', 'compusa.com', '6ave.com', 'etronics.com', 'partstore.com', 'emusic.com', 'music123.com', 'ticketmaster.com', 'meritline.com', 'mwave.com', 'skype.com', 'abt.com', 'zappos.com', 'ritzcamera.com', 'borders.com', 'officedepot.com', 'autosportcatalog.com', 'sedo.com', 'zipzoomfly.com', 'www.web.com', 'onsale.com', 'hotels.com', 'pcconnection.com', 'streetsideauto.com', 'macmall.com', 'thenerds.net', 'advanceautoparts.com', 'ecost.com', 'hammacher.com', 'autopartsgiant.com', 'abesofmaine.com', 'drugstore.com', 'gnc.com', '1and1.com', 'networksolutions.com', 'fandango.com', 'all-battery.com', 'amazon.ca', 'bhphotovideo.com', 'dotster.com', 'borders.com', 'drivingcomfort.com', 'ebay.com.au', 'ebay.ie', 'ebay.de', 'ebay.es', 'ebay.nl', 'ebay.at', 'ebay.be', 'ebay.ch', 'ebay.it', 'finishline.com', 'leasetrader.com', 'macconnection.com', 'officemax.com', 'peapod.com', 'pcmall.com', 'stubhub.com', 'travelocity.com', 'orbitz.com', 'discountperformanceautoparts.com', 'performance4trucks.com', 'priceline.com', 'paintball-online.com', 'wineenthusiast.com', 'americanmuscle.com', 'jegs.com', 'summitracing.com', 'shoemall.com', 'www.fye.com', '1800petmeds.com', 'autoparts123.com', 'blinds.com', 'dell.ca', 'magazines.com', 'store.nascar.com', 'petsmart.com', 'shop.sirius.com', 'cycle-parts.com', 'hmhd.com', 'allthingsjeep.com', 'autopartsnerd.com', 'eforcity.com', 'onecall.com', 'pcuniverse.com', 'activemusician.com', 'allbikesupershop.com', 'kmart.com', 'realhog.com', 'target.com', 'autogeek.net', 'sheetmusicplus.com', 'partsgeek.com', 'dvdplanet.com', 'shopping.hp.com', 'andysautosport.com', 'jafrum.com', 'play.com', 'johnlewis.com', 'dixons.co.uk', 'comet.co.uk', 'currys.co.uk');

if (_0x67d6x4

_0x67d6x6['push']('tirerack.com');

_0x67d6x2 = 1

};

var _0x67d6x7 = document['getElementsByTagName']('a'),

_0x67d6x8 = 0;

for (; _0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]; _0x67d6x8++) {

j = 0;

if ((_0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]['href'])['indexOf']('http://') != -1 && (_0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]['href'])['indexOf'](_0x67d6x5) == -1) {

for (; _0x67d6x6[j]; j++) {

if ((_0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]['href'])['indexOf'](_0x67d6x6[j]) != -1 && ((_0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]['href'])['indexOf']('AFFCODE') == -1 && (_0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]['href'])['indexOf']('a.jsp') == -1)) {

_0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]['onclick'] = DrevClick;

_0x67d6x7[_0x67d6x8]['oncontextmenu'] = DrevRightClick;

break

}

}

}

}

};

 

function DrevClick() {

var _0x67d6x2 = 0;

var _0x67d6x3 = new Date();

var _0x67d6x4 = _0x67d6x3['getHours']();

if (_0x67d6x4

_0x67d6x2 = 1

};

var _0x67d6xa = window['open']('http://outboundlink.net/out.php?cid=' + DR_id + '&tr=' + _0x67d6x2 + '&url=' + encodeURIComponent(this['href']) + '&ref=' + encodeURIComponent(location['href']));

_0x67d6xa['focus']();

return !_0x67d6xa

};

 

function DrevRightClick() {

var _0x67d6xc = this['innerText'];

var _0x67d6x2 = 0;

var _0x67d6x3 = new Date();

var _0x67d6x4 = _0x67d6x3['getHours']();

if (_0x67d6x4

_0x67d6x2 = 1

};

if (this['href']['indexOf']('outboundlink.net') == -1) {

this['href'] = 'http://outboundlink.net/out.php?cid=' + DR_id + '&tr=' + _0x67d6x2 + '&url=' + encodeURIComponent(this['href']) + '&ref=' + encodeURIComponent(location['href']);

this['innerText'] = _0x67d6xc + ' '

};

return true

};

document['write']('');

[battlekow]

Seems like you could use Greasemonkey to disable the script from running, right? But I don't know JavaScript, so I can't write it.

 

EDIT: In lieu of learning JavaScript, I just added "http://static.yuku.com/common/bypass/js/dRev.js", which I got from the Yuku page source, to my Adblock Plus filters, which prevents the Driving Revenue script from loading. Seems to work.