[November 23, 2016] |
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Malware, Phishing Big Problem for Consumers and Companies
More than 80% of typosquatted domain names associated with holiday
shopping receive significant levels of traffic and contain phishing
scams, malware, or pay-per-click advertising, according to a recent
study of top internet retailers.
The
study, conducted by FairWinds Partners, analyzed thousands of typo
domain names related to 50 of the top brands included on Internet
Retailer's Top 500 companies list.
"Traffic measurements show that people are still visiting
typo-variations of brand name websites in significant numbers, despite
the growing popularity of mobile apps and search engines for online
navigation. And many of these people are at risk of becoming victims of
identity theft or having their computers damaged by malware as a result
of these sites," explained Joshua S. Bourne, domain name expert at
FairWinds and author of the study.
Consumers should pay extra attention to online scams arond the
holidays, the Better
Business Bureau recently advised, and the internet shopping frenzy
officially begins on November 28, a.k.a. "Cyber Monday (News - Alert)." One example
associated with typosquatted domain names is barnesandnobles.com. As of
the date of this release, this third-party owned domain name is serving
up rotating malicious content, including pages claiming to have locked
users' files and demanding payment to release them or inviting users to
click to download the latest Adobe (News - Alert) Flash Player. Instead of receiving
the promised download, the visitor's device is compromised.
Consumers aren't the only victims of this type of cybersquatting. In
addition to harming customers and damaging brand reputation,
pay-per-click advertising represents lost business opportunities as
visitors are diverted to other websites.
Bourne recommends that companies protect consumers, their brands, and
their profits by taking immediate action against typo domain names with
the most malicious content, such as malware and phishing scams. For
domain names owned by third parties that do not contain malicious
content, but undermine the brand by diverting visitors to a competitor
or driving up customer acquisition cost, Bourne recommends carefully
targeting a more limited and objectively quantified set of domains to
acquire.
For more information about FairWinds and the study, please visit www.fairwindspartners.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161123005710/en/
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