Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

April 2023

Pixels & trackers are present on mission-critical webpages and thereby increasing the likelihood of risks

In an analysis of over 3,000 websites and over 100,000 associated webpages (using the client-side security scanning feature of Feroot Inspector) found pixels/trackers on 95% of their websites. Each website in the study corresponds to an unique organization (company, non-profit, or government agency). The high 95% reflects the extent of data harvesting that is done by marketing, advertising, and performance platforms today.

Pixels/Trackers Can Collect & Transfer Data Without Consent

Analysis on 3,000 websites and over 100,000 associated webpages (using the client-side security scanning feature of Feroot Inspector) revealed that pixels/trackers are collecting and/or transferring data prior to the explicit consent (e.g., cookie acceptance) of a website user. (While some do not require actual consent for one reason or another, the consent is not explicitly made.) Table 1 shows the degree to which some pixels/trackers were present on the analyzed websites.

TikTok Trackers Can Still Be Present Regardless of TikTok App Installation

In an analysis of over 3,000 websites and over 100,000 associated webpages (using the client-side security scanning feature of Feroot Inspector) across 6 sectors, it was discovered that TikTok pixels/trackers were present on 7.41% of the analyzed websites (shown in Table 1). Here, TikTok pixels/trackers were within the code of the web pages that load into a user’s browser from those websites.

Independent of their Apps, bad actors banned by various executive orders have pixels/trackers on everyday websites

“ manipulate content, and if they want to, to use it for influence operations” – FBI Director Chris Wray “To maintain the security of data owned by the state of Nebraska, and to safeguard against the intrusive cyber activities of China’s communist government, we’ve made the decision to ban TikTok on state devices.” – NB Governor Pete Ricketts “Protecting citizens’ data is our top priority, and our IT professionals have determined, in consultat

Why Pixels/Trackers are Common and Abundant

As part of a detailed study of pixels/trackers, an analysis of over 3,000 websites and over 100,000 associated webpages (using the client-side security scanning feature of Feroot Inspector) found pixels/trackers on 95% of their websites. Each website in the study corresponds to an unique organization (company, non-profit, or government agency). The high 95% reflects the extent of data harvesting that is done by marketing, advertising, and performance platforms today.