[minstrel]

Cookie Stuffing Detector

This modification will help protect your boards against cookie stuffing scams.

What is Cookie Stuffing
From Wikipedia:

Cookie stuffing or cookie dropping is a Blackhat technique used to generate fraudulent affiliate sales. It involves placing an affiliate tracking cookie on a website visitor's computer without their knowledge, which will then generate revenue for the person doing the cookie stuffing. Income is generated when the affected user visits the target affiliate site and either creates an account or makes a purchase, depending on the terms of the affiliate agreement. This not only generates fraudulent affiliate sales, but also has the potential to overwrite legitimate affiliates' cookies, essentially stealing their legitimately earned commissions.

Operators of websites that allow user-generated content, such as forums that allow users to post, should be aware of this technique in order to protect their visitors from this attack. Cookie stuffing can be accomplished with as little as including an image in a forum post.

People can use your boards for this illegitimate practice if you don't protect yourself.

Details of how it works and download link for registered vBulletin owners

Added: Hmmm... it seems there are problems with this add-on. If it were present on this forum, for example, you would not be able to view this thread or at least this page in IE. Additionally, Floris has pointed out that it only protects against one type of cookie stuffing so it is easily evaded.

I'll leave the post in hopes that the author or someone else will develop the add-on further.