NOMINATION HIGHLIGHTS

ADEX is an AI-driven fraud protection and traffic-quality platform built specifically for digital advertising. Over the past year, it has proven that ad fraud defence can operate at cybersecurity level – detecting not only invalid traffic and bots, but also complex malware and phishing operations that abuse the advertising ecosystem.

Our flagship achievement is a five-year investigation into the Triada Trojan, one of the most persistent Android malware families. ADEX analysts uncovered and blocked a large-scale malware distribution campaign that had infiltrated multiple ad networks, abusing stolen and hijacked advertiser accounts and cloaking behind trusted domains. The findings led to a comprehensive, zero-trust security model rolled out with our partners: stricter KYC via Sumsub, mandatory two-factor authentication and anomaly-based login monitoring for all advertiser accounts, plus full redirect and domain verification, even when traffic passes through services like GitHub or Discord.

In parallel, ADEX detected and stopped a sophisticated phishing operation aimed at hijacking Telegram accounts via fake subscription flows. The attack abused Telegram as a communication and verification channel, making it difficult for traditional filters to flag. ADEX identified the anomaly patterns in traffic, traced the redirection chains and helped partners shut the campaign down before it scaled, preventing account takeovers and financial losses.

What makes ADEX stand out is this combination of real-time detection technology, long-term threat research and public transparency. We do not stop at blocking “bad traffic”: we document attack chains, share detailed case studies with the industry and hard-wire all learnings back into our platform and our clients’ security processes – raising the standard of fraud protection for the entire ecosystem.