Browsing the Web, and Picking Up a Virus in the Meantime

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In the course of conducting recent research, FairWinds Partners, the leading domain name strategy consultancy, discovered that common typographical variations of popular website domain names are being used to spread malware to unsuspecting Internet users. Hundreds of these sites expose users to computer-infecting viruses, invasive spyware, or information-stealing Trojan horses.

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As FairWinds uncovered in earlier studies, the typographical errors that Internet users make while typing in the domain names of popular websites can cost the companies behind those sites millions of dollars in lost revenue and unnecessary advertising fees. However, in this most recent investigation, we found that users are at risk as well. In total, we found instances of typo domain names that spread malware across the sites of 82 major brands. These include brands like Google, Microsoft, USA Today, The New York Times, AutoTrader.com and Travelocity. In particular, we learned that many typo variations of PayPal's domain name, PayPal.com, are used in phishing schemes.

Many times, these viruses and other forms of malware attack in a stealthy and undetectable manner, which leads to low instances of reporting these crimes to the authorities. But when a cybercriminal exploits a recognizable and trusted brand name to spread malware, it can be even more misleading to Internet users. Instead of making a complaint to the proper authorities, they may direct their anger toward the company in question.

"We see it all the time," says Supervisory Special Agent Charles Pavelites of the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). "People believe what they see on the Internet and in emails. If a consumer visits a copycat site hosting malware that looks like it belongs to a legitimate company, he or she is more likely to believe that whatever harm is incurred is the company's fault."

"Brand owners must be diligent about enforcing their brands in the domain space and protecting their customers," asserted Phil Lodico, co-founder and Managing Partner of FairWinds. "This goes beyond protecting against monetary losses; this is about protecting your valued customers and delivering them the best online experience, and protecting your brand equity in the process."

For more information on the typo domains that are spreading malware, and how to protect your brand and customers, read the paper on the FairWinds website.

FairWinds is a leading consulting firm, offering its clients strategic insights on domain names and other online identifiers.

Contact:
Samantha Demetriou
[email protected]
(202) 223-9355

SOURCE FairWinds Partners, LLC