Typosquatting, also known as URL hijacking, is a style of cybercrime in which criminals register domain names that are similar to legitimate websites. These fake websites are designed to deceive users who make typographical errors when entering website addresses. This type of attack commonly leads to data exfiltration, credential theft, or malware being installed on the victim’s device.
If you reference the image above, you will see a few of the most common approaches a cybercriminal will take to create a fake domain to be used in a typosquatting attack. Excluding a letter, adding a letter, and flipping the position of two letters are slight adjustments that are difficult to notice if you are not careful.
Typosquatters may use a variety of tactics to deceive users, such as copying the design and layout of legitimate websites or creating fake login pages to steal users’ credentials. Once a user enters their login information on a fake website, the cybercriminals can use it to access sensitive data, such as bank account details, social security numbers, and credit card information.
To protect your business from typosquatting, there are several steps you can take:
Register similar domain names: Consider registering domain names that are similar to your business’s website to prevent typosquatters from using them. You can also purchase common misspellings of your domain name to redirect users to your legitimate website.
Educate your employees: Educate your employees on the risks of typosquatting and provide guidelines on how to identify fake websites.
Use anti-malware software: Use anti-malware software like Endpoint Detection & Response to protect your devices from malware and other risks associated with phishing scams.
Invest in cybersecurity: Awareness training, endpoint detection and response software, and enhanced email security tools can improve your business’ overall cybersecurity posture.
By implementing the suggestions outlined above, you can protect your business from typosquatters and safeguard your sensitive information. If you want to learn more about security awareness training for your staff, endpoint detection and response for your servers and computers, or are looking for an IT partner to do it all, reach out to us today!
