They say familiarity is deceptive, and we absolutely agree with it, especially in the context of cybersecurity. We base this statement on the paradigm that humans tend to trust patterns and blindly click on something that looks familiar at a glance. While doing this, we tend to overlook minor mistakes or discrepancies that can lead to bigger problems.
You might think that these little, insignificant mistakes can barely cause any harm, but it’s better to understand their implications before things go wrong. These mistakes open doors for cybercriminals to exploit our trust and manipulate us into compromising our sensitive information. The tactic we’re talking about is called ‘typosquatting.’
This trick uses minor modifications of a legitimate web address, such as a misspelled word, an extra character, or even a different domain extension. The driving force behind such strategic moves is to allow scam artists to not only swindle you but also design worse cyberattacks, which include phishing schemes, data theft, or malware installation.
In this article, we will understand what typosquatting is, how it can be executed, and how you can safeguard your organization from this attack.
Understanding typosquatting
Do you always pay close attention to the web addresses you visit or the emails you respond to? For most of us, a quick glance is sufficient, and as long as it looks familiar, we move on without a second thought. Cybercriminals take advantage of this tendency by using a clever tactic called typosquatting. They use this method to create similar fake domains that differ from the original ones by just a single letter or with changed characters, different suffixes, etc. They look so identical to the legitimate ones that even the vigilant ones might fall for the trap.
Here is an example which will give you a clearer idea of this technique-
Syouruppose you want to go to ‘google.com,’ but in haste, you type ‘googel.com.’ You may find self on a malicious page that looks exactly like Google’s home page. Since there are no obvious red flags, you will probably do what you always do—enter your username and password without thinking twice.
This is where things start to go the wrong way. Handing over your credentials to a scammer grants them the entry pass to your Google account and all the services linked to it, which can lead to data breaches, identity theft, financial scams, etc.
The worst part is typosquatting doesn’t just stop at fake websites. It can also be used in emails, claiming to be a trusted source. For example, you might receive an email from ‘updates@bank0famerica.com’ instead of the legitimate address: ‘updates@bankofamerica.com.’ Chances are you might not even notice the slight but significant difference between the two email IDs— ‘0’ (zero) and ‘o’ (the alphabet). This is exactly what cyber attackers want— you engage with their fraudulent emails and fall prey to their malicious scams.
Decoding the art of typosquatting
Cybercriminals are always looking for new and creative ways to dupe unsuspecting users and capitalize on their vulnerability. In this case, typosquatting is a new trick in the books on the art of cybercrime. Instead of breaking into systems, they take advantage of how we often glance over details like URLs or email addresses.
Let us take a look at how attackers pull off severe yet sophisticated attacks by leveraging this technique.
Fake websites
A common trick is to create fake websites using typosquatting domains that are very similar to the original website, not only in terms of the domain name but also in terms of the look and feel. The only difference, which you might not even notice until it is too late, is small discrepancies in the web address, like incorrect spelling, added characters, etc.
For instance, if you wanted to type ‘amazon.com’ but you accidentally typed ‘amazom.com,’ you might land on a fake website. And if the worst happens and you go on to place your order on this fake website, you might unknowingly give all your important details (credit card information and shipping address) to the attacker.
Phishing emails
As we mentioned above, emails are among the most preferred channels for attackers to execute typosquatting. These scammers create false email addresses that look nearly identical to real ones, so you may not even realize anything is wrong. They are crafted to make you trust them and act quickly, such as clicking on a link, downloading a file, or sharing personal information.
One peculiarity of these phony emails is that they seem urgent or important, convincing you to believe that they should be dealt with immediately. But if you don’t look at them carefully, you could end up giving out sensitive details, such as your passwords or banking information, to attackers.
Staying protected and fortifying your defenses
We’re sure you’d agree with us that a cybersecurity strategy is essential in today’s digital world, especially when the tactics are subtle but have far-reaching consequences.
One such tactic is typosquatting, which is gaining momentum in cybercrime circles. To protect your organization from malicious attacks pulled off with this technique, here are some strategies that you should follow:
- Keep an eye on domain registrations for variations of your company name or trademarks to catch attackers before they try to use them against you.
- Block other domains that are similar to your primary domain before an attacker gets hold of them. While doing so, make sure you take into account all the variations of your domain, including common misspellings or alternative extensions.
- Make sure that you make email authentication a priority. By implementing authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, you can significantly bring down the risk of scammers spoofing your email domain and sending malicious emails on your behalf.
Speaking of email authentication, the first layer of defense in this strategy is SPF (Sender Policy Framework). If you want to implement SPF for your email-sending domains, our team at AutoSPF can help you with it. Reach out to us today to get started!
