What is Typosquatting?
Typosquatting is a human error that cybercriminals exploit by making use of the Pharming cyberattack (fake web page), already discussed in previous TIPS.
Sometimes, when typing the address of a web page quickly, we can make a mistake. Cybercriminals are aware of this and use it to their advantage. For this reason refers to the fact that someone ends up on the wrong (fraudulent) website because he or she mistyped a URL. This happens because cybercriminals reserve domains similar to those of legitimate websites, contemplating these errors. Thus, users who type a URL with a changed letter (because they have typed fast), or confuse the “.es” for “.com” (or vice versa), etc., may end up falling into their traps.
These websites can be purely informative, display advertising or also be pages that impersonate the identity of real companies (e.g. banks). In addition, some of them may contain malware or virus-infected executable files, which are downloaded as soon as the User accesses them.
How can we avoid it?
Some companies buy domains similar to their URLs. In this way, they redirect Users to the correct website in case they do not type the address correctly.
As a User you must:
- Double check the URL (web page address) when typing it.
- Make sure that the URL starts with https (that “S” at the end or the padlock symbol in the web 🔒 are a guarantee of trust and security).
- Before making any transaction, especially if it is a payment or transaction, review the legal notice, privacy policies and terms and conditions.
- And if we see that a file is being downloaded by simply accessing that website, we must close the browser, disconnect the internet connection (cable or wifi) and if possible run a scan with an antivirus.
IMPORTANT: If you think you have been a victim of this type of cyber attack, report it at work to the IT Department, CISO or DPO and at the personal level report it to the police authorities.