Is hlserve.com Safe?

hlserve.com cat.hlserve.com cat.hlserve.com/beacon?fid=180&hl_qs=BYq9d299qSvp0B6GCPTZ8TrCkpqJ6Qhg8rGAGvXsWMCdQGbrTkpeENATk9W9euucvQJl%2BYdo98tZQyzgYnvvcWYMDmB9lgjowsI24r8H1pRLtEdrqa0Dg5QoVVFINSeA6%2Bl%2FDoCa4bDwKvIyIV5Qw%2BUOiuJsbW3w8UIVfgDvrwT5rUj8NP1PG0vT7LZ1ReUmgUC5cIULM1DIKe206PN9d4jc3a4WILcn6ueh7ERRqLgVKlknpVwpAjxd5aRxMvnl%2BdTlOO1tMR%2B%2BhdxEyu0uvCh104sqoW6idR6CrTMZcj8jTVG2ByqJXAQ%2Bm06MOHsthzt7CkrAeO%2F%2FiZSU83KIVo%2B9lK%2BzVy04Uy02XSDvCbGiLGgBHIHY7HR59jwzWd0imMYtTS9QMzNeci3OtibLjPMqsrx%2BE5mJKzIz19U4YlpT%2Fo4CT44IvzK1Z9pdGUosyCpExNufgV17z5XgAZpGVdID%2BQAcjRH2qv2csnYQLSJ1Xua3itnJAdXROjNNlk6rnA6%2FcpbuUS2XRtfvM4%2F5noOdHhSNoSBVxom%2FbYORcrjvaOca3JNR7ubDg9y7OctG%2B2tdUGil0ZC7Eiy5aahcwVx78afNaBOLqur6NxFBb2xmEs517I10101OVcYO1OrR8UMar0vFDy7tJKWS09kp1jU20j3LF%2B1EAGp0BKg4puoW79LX7AYeL9EvLq9gc1lqzYw8Pbg7WZiZ4Ek1pRBJSK6C4HJ1PpotTMSeB7S%2FSXW8anfx5Ow4s2rVffhp4aF6rKwldBFkAbk4VKFRYLaGeHl%2BVW2V8TRnm5wmf%2F6g%2F8gqtOwp%2FNFtVwhUm96AmVOT50ffhbvyTSEFcPALwWq7xKhvGgMpoMWWHq%2FoTRhlLaLPsqYwiluD0JGM3w9LKX%2FB1U2zTXAyoSv4kC3l%2BTgVBj9F3we9gWL2G9yn5yRYPv7FevLsPNZyoyW8CzbB15lBqVTF4rAPp2JOOIypgco43ifkKGsdvExnS%2BQrnZ9FnXjm9w5Ivxwz3QoYb60m9fjCy7mTLwaZ32LEALD2cVVaQEuoqlb84Fo2qWpvAvlZbeFpZq4muV7f%2B%2F0JFn13yGGSrRNp%2FcgFA29WYho3n8FhSvn4bB9OXfdDG95op7Cb6QNWyx32HUQkdF3hXnHKUaAWuEfL5QTlla1rQzEpY%2FRKAPkOcMx%2FoRfefhqv3NWi0kc%3D&ev=1&action=click&impressionpid=ce3f2e4a-d10a-495f-b538-a9c0d2dccc4d&rn=2091082875&abe=0&hmguid=85d00f50-bda8-47b6-1d62-68bd16d206a1&dest=22%F0%9D%9F%8E88%F0%9D%9F%92%F0%9D%9F%95%F0%9D%9F%93%F0%9D%9F%93%F0%9D%9F%95%F0%9D%9F%96510.%F0%9D%93%BD%F0%9D%93%B4

The domain registrar for hlserve.com is HookLogic, so hlserve is most likely just their abbreviation for HookLogic Server (farm/network). HookLogic is (or was) a startup that works with brands to place and track ads across websites you visit. How it works is a brand like Samsung contracts with HookLogic to place ads of their products (think cell phones and televisions) on the web sites of major retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Target. (Samsung doesn't deal with the retailers directly.) If you look at cell phones on Target, you might see a Samsung cell phone ad alongside the site's other product listings. Then if you switch to looking at televisions, you might see a Samsung ad for their latest 4K TVs along with the site's other listings. That behavior by itself isn't alarming. The brand (e.g., Samsung) can review which of its products (by SKU) have been placed on which product pages of the retailers that work with HookLogic. Where HookLogic does start to get suspicious is when they say they can track a user looking at a brand's product (let's say a Samsung 4K TV) at one site (let's say Best Buy), Googling the product, and then switching to another site (let's say Walmart) and purchasing the product. That implies they have cross-site tracking on a per user or device basis. If this was done anonymously and/or for a short duration that still might not be too bad. However, HookLogic also claims they can do this tracking across devices. A scenario for that would be that I look up a Samsung TV at Best Buy on my laptop at home (tracked) and an hour or so later, I go to the store to look at it (not tracked). I decide it's the TV I want, but I want to make sure its the best price, so I Google it on my cell phone while in the store (tracked - possibly even with geolocation placing me inside Best Buy). I find it's cheaper through ***** and order it there (tracked). HookLogic reports all of this to Samsung so that they know their ad resulted in a sale. In order to track at that level, HookLogic would have had to determine which devices are associated with one another (desktops, laptops, tablets and cell phones). That is not nearly as anonymous and they would have to maintain that knowledge over time. That implies very deep, persistent tracking. It could still be done fairly anonymously, and it's probably true that brands like Samsung are not interested in tracking me or my habits specifically. HookLogic, based in Ann Arbor, MI, was purchased in late 2016 by criteo.com, an ad company based in Paris, France. Criteo very definitely tracks individuals and their habits, so my guess HookLogic's tracking is no longer anonymous if it ever was.

Site blocks security scanners shown below. Suspicious. https://sitecheck.sucuri.net/results/hlserve.com http://quttera.com/detailed_report/hlserve.com ====================================== Cannot access http://hlserve.com directly. Suspicious.

Advertising site. Not currently listed in hp-hosts, though I see it has been previously. Also not listed in URLVoid. As always with advertising sites, block script unless it is needed for that site for the greatest protection.

I find nothing when I try to connect to hlserve.com. Usually that would be an advertisement for their services. I find this lack to be suspicious. As usual, I block third party scripts unless the script is required to display the client's web content.