Wrong Install Time

Introduction

The Wrong Install Time filter is designed exclusively for mobile app installs and targets SDK spoofing and time-based fraud anomalies. It validates the sequence and logic of key time-based events during the install and conversion flow.

It is especially relevant when integrating with Adjust, though the key timestamps can be passed through these parameters:

• begin_install_time
• finish_install_time
• landing_page_time

Purpose

The main goal of this filter is to detect and reject conversions with inconsistent or impossible event sequences, which often signal fraud or SDK manipulation.

In order to detect the wrong install time, the filter performs logical time sequence validations across the following key events:

1. Install Start Time must occur before or within a margin of the Install Finish Time
   begin_install_time < finish_install_time + tolerance 
2. Landing Page Time must occur before or within a margin of the Install Start Time
   landing_page_time < begin_install_time + tolerance 
3. Install Finish Time must occur before or within a margin of the Conversion Time
   finish_install_time < conversion_time + tolerance 
4. Click Time must occur before or within a permissible margin of the Landing Page Time
   click_time < landing_page_time + tolerance

If any of these conditions fail, the conversion is flagged as fraudulent and is rejected.

Configuration and Tolerance Settings

To account for potential discrepancies caused by device processing delays, clock drift, or SDK network latency, a tolerance threshold (in seconds) can be configured.

1. Default Delta tolerance: between 5 and 99 seconds
2. This allows for minor variations without compromising fraud detection

Parameters Used in Validation

• begin_install_time – Timestamp when app install started
• finish_install_time – Timestamp when app install completed
• landing_page_time – Timestamp when landing page was showne
• conversion_time – Timestamp when the conversion happened
• click_time – Timestamp when the ad click occurred

Why It Matters

These time-sequence validations help to:

• Prevent fabricated conversions generated by bots or spoofed SDKs
• Ensure event integrity across install flows
• Filter out technically impossible or manipulated traffic

By enforcing logical time progression with configurable flexibility, this filter effectively combats one of the most common SDK fraud vectors in mobile performance campaigns.