--- title: "SIVT fraud detection: What are hijacked devices, user sessions, ad tags, and ad creative?" description: Pixalate, an MRC-accredited company for SIVT detection & filtration for desktop & mobile web impressions, defines hijacked devices, user sessions, ad tags, and ad creative. image: https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/hijacked%20devices%2c%20user%20sessions%2c%20ad%20tags%2c%20and%20ad%20creative.jpg --- [![pixalate-full-logo](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixalate_Logos/pixalate-full-logo.jpg?width=150&height=60&name=pixalate-full-logo.jpg "pixalate-full-logo")](https://www.pixalate.com) Search **Menu** ** ** ![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/hijacked%20devices%2c%20user%20sessions%2c%20ad%20tags%2c%20and%20ad%20creative.jpg) [Thought Leadership](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/thought-leadership) | 1 min read # SIVT fraud detection: What are hijacked devices, user sessions, ad tags, and ad creative? Written by [Tyler Loechner](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/author/tyler-loechner) Jul 13, 2017 10:55:07 AM *[Pixalate is an MRC-accredited company](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-accreditation-sivt-invalid-traffic-givt-detection-filtration-mobile) for the detection and filtration of Sophisticated Invalid Traffic ("SIVT") desktop and mobile web impressions.* --- According to the Media Rating Council’s (MRC) standards for [Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines](http://mediaratingcouncil.org/101515_IVT%20Addendum%20FINAL%20(Version%201.0).pdf), there are two types of invalid traffic: - [GIVT](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-givt-invalid-traffic-detection-filtration) (General Invalid Traffic) - [SIVT](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-invalid-traffic-detection-filtration) (Sophisticated Invalid Traffic) Several related examples of SIVT include “hijacked devices, user sessions, ad tags, and ad creative.” ### **What are “hijacked devices, user sessions, ad tags, and ad creative” in the MRC definition of SIVT?** **![hijacked devices, user sessions, ad tags, and ad creative.jpg](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/hijacked%20devices%2c%20user%20sessions%2c%20ad%20tags%2c%20and%20ad%20creative.jpg?width=640&name=hijacked%20devices%2c%20user%20sessions%2c%20ad%20tags%2c%20and%20ad%20creative.jpg)** According to the MRC, hijacked devices, hijacked sessions within hijacked devices, hijacked ad tags, and hijacked creative are all forms of SIVT. Since they all share a common denominator — hijacking — we’re including them in the same post. One simple example: Malware installed on a mobile device or computer is one means to direct the device into faking legitimate web traffic to a site or app. Another way to think of this could be illegitimate activity from a legitimate device. In the above example, the mobile device is legitimate (it really is a mobile device), but the malware has “hijacked” the device and is driving illegitimate traffic. MRC-accredited ad fraud detection and prevention companies must be able to identify and filter out hijacked devices, hijacked sessions within hijacked devices, hijacked ad tags, and hijacked creative. ### **What are some other examples of SIVT?** Hijacked devices, hijacked sessions within hijacked devices, hijacked ad tags, and hijacked creative are just a few examples of [Sophisticated Invalid Traffic](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-invalid-traffic-detection-filtration) (SIVT) as defined by the MRC. To learn about some of the other examples of SIVT, click on any of the examples below: -      [Bots and spiders or other crawlers masquerading as legitimate users](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-bots-spider-crawlers-fake-legitimate-users) -      [Differentiating human and IVT traffic when originating from the same or similar source](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-differentiating-human-ivt-traffic-same-source)      -      [Hidden/stacked/covered or otherwise intentionally obfuscated ad serving](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-hidden-stacked-obfuscated-ad-serving) -      [Invalid proxy traffic](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-invalid-proxy-traffic) -      [Adware and malware](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-adware-malware-examples) -      [Incentivized manipulation of measurements](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-incentivized-manipulation-measurements) -      [Falsified viewable impression decisions](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-falsified-viewable-impression-viewability) -      [Falsely represented sites](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-falsely-represented-sites) -      [Cookie stuffing, recycling, or harvesting](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-cookie-stuffing-recycling-harvesting-fraud) -      [Manipulation or falsification of location data](https://blog.pixalate.com/mrc-definitions-sivt-manipulation-falsification-location-data-fake-false) [![demo-request-blog-cta](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2364596/0412f307-49c4-44b7-8732-cdfad04ae1ad.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2364596/0412f307-49c4-44b7-8732-cdfad04ae1ad) ### Search Blog Search ### Follow Pixalate ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Previous Story [← Pixalate Releases May 2017 Seller Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/global-seller-trust-index-may-2017) [** ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog) Next Story [SIVT fraud detection: What are falsely represented sites? 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