Mouse trapping is a technique used to trap visitors on offensive websites to generate revenue. Pagejacking redirects visitors to pornographic sites, and fake links end up in search engines. Pagejackers embed redirect code to prevent exit and exploit clicks. Avoid mouse trapping by manually entering a legitimate address or using a bookmark. Disabling JavaScript or using Firefox with add-ons can also help.
Mouse trapping is a technique used to trap a reluctant visitor to an offensive website in order to get the maximum benefit from the one-time visit. A victim of mouse trapping is often sent to the offending site via pagejacking, which occurs when a surfer believes they have clicked on a legitimate link, only to be redirected to a pornographic site.
Unscrupulous people can copy legitimate, high-ranking web pages, then add some code that tricks potential visitors to land somewhere else. These bogus links end up in search engines because the stolen content and code mirror legitimate pages (apart from the redirect). A surfer cannot tell whether a link is bogus or not until he clicks on it. Choose to visit a camera dealer, check out wedding dresses or see the score from last night’s game, for example, and you could end up in the red light district.
Pagejackers know that reluctant visitors will immediately try to exit the offending site, so they embed additional redirect code that prevents exit, while using the visitor’s clicks to generate revenue. Pressing buttons like “back”, “forward” or even “close” will start a cycle, opening one offensive site or ad after the next, popping up one banner after another in a cascade of windows. This is mousetrap.
As the visitor gets more and more frustrated trying to click, every click benefits the pagejacker. This illegal practice is not based on return visits or creating a good visitor experience, it is simply designed to exploit clicks. In fact, rat catching is a kind of electronic robbery. The robbers don’t expect you to come back, they take everything they can on the spot. The philosophy behind pagejacking is the same.
While some browsers and plug-ins prevent scripts that cause loops or redirects, if you are experiencing pagejacking you can avoid mouse trapping by manually entering a legitimate address into your browser’s URL (address) field. Another option is to click a saved bookmark or a link from your “Favorites” folder. Avoid clicking window or banner buttons, even if they have a “Close” button. The close button is commonly another redirect trick.
Pagejacking and mouse trapping can both be avoided by disabling JavaScript, although many users prefer not to do this as legitimate sites also make use of JavaScript. An alternative is to use the Firefox browser, which has add-ons to disallow scripting globally, allowing users to enable scripting for specific sites. The browser is free and open source, as are its add-ons. Another alternative is to install a filtering program that blocks access to sites that contain objectionable content.
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