When Botnet activity is detected on the network of one of PerfTech’s large ISP customers, an in-browser alert is triggered to quickly make affected subscribers aware of the problem and provide resources for remedial action. A campaign for this purpose was launched on April 30 of this year and continues on an ongoing basis, with subscribers added in batches regularly.
The in-browser alert includes a “Yes, Scan” button that results in performing a free scan of the subscriber’s device, and a button option to “Remind Me Later.” Additionally, two links in the message text connect to a description of the ISP’s security package, so the subscriber can read about the process, and then proceed to scan, if desired. Choosing “Remind Me Later” causes the alert to reappear every other day until a definitive action is taken. Results to date show:
“Scan” options response rate: 38.3%
“Remind Me Later” response rate: 33.4%
Average number of alerts per subscriber before action taken: 3.1
While a third of alerted subscribers choose to be reminded, nearly 40% proceed to a “scan” action immediately—a significant response given they must drop their current browsing activity to scan. Additionally, some subscribers, after being alerted, may have elected to browse to the security software outside of the in-browser message, in which case they are not included in the PerfTech counts, but result in performing the requested remediation.