OAT-016 Skewing

This is an automated threat. To view all automated threats, please see the Automated Threat Category page. The OWASP Automated Threat Handbook - Wed Applications (, print), an output of the OWASP Automated Threats to Web Applications Project, provides a fuller guide to each threat, detection methods and countermeasures. The helps to correctly identify the automated threat.

OWASP Automated Threat (OAT) Identity Number
OAT-016

Threat Event Name
Skewing

Summary Defining Characteristics
Repeated link clicks, page requests or form submissions intended to alter some metric.

Description
Automated repeated clicking or requesting or submitting content, a ecting application-based metrics such as counts and measures of frequency and/or rate. The metric or measurement may be visible to users (e.g. betting odds, likes, market/ dynamic pricing, visitor count, poll results, reviews) or hidden (e.g. application usage statistics, business performance indicators). Metrics may affect individuals as well as the application owner, e.g. user reputation, influence others, gain fame, or undermine someone else's reputation.

For malicious alteration of digital advertisement metrics, see OAT-003 Ad Fraud instead.

Other Names and Examples
Biasing KPIs; Boosting friends, visitors, and likes; Click fraud; Dynamic pricing hacking; Election fraud; Hit count fraud; Market distortion; Metric and statistic skewing; Page impression fraud; Poll fraud; Poll skewing; Poll/voting subversion; Rating/review skewing; SEO; Stock manipulation; Survey skewing

CAPEC Category / Attack Pattern IDs

 * 210 Abuse of Functionality

CWE Base / Class / Variant IDs

 * 799 Improper Control of Interaction Frequency
 * 837 Improper Enforcement of a Single, Unique Action

WASC Threat IDs

 * 21 Insufficient Anti-Automation
 * 42 Abuse of Functionality

OWASP Attack Category / Attack IDs

 * Abuse of Functionality