Typosquatting, or URL hijacking, is a deceptive technique used in brand protection cybersecurity where attackers register domain names similar to legitimate ones but with slight misspellings or typographical errors. Users who inadvertently mistype a website address may be redirected to these malicious domains, which often host spoofed, fake, phishing, cloned, imitation, fraudulent, deceptive, or malicious websites designed to:

• Steal user credentials: These sites may mimic legitimate login pages to capture usernames and passwords.

• Conduct financial fraud: They may impersonate e-commerce platforms or payment portals to collect sensitive financial information.

• Distribute malware: They may offer legitimate downloads but contain harmful software.

• Damage to brand reputation: They may host harmful content or engage in activities that tarnish the brand's image.

How ThreatNG Helps with Typosquatting

ThreatNG provides a comprehensive suite of capabilities to combat typosquatting and protect brands from the associated risks.

External Discovery and Assessment

ThreatNG's external discovery engine enables it to proactively identify and analyze potential threats, including typosquatting domains, without requiring internal systems or credentials access. This is achieved through:

• Domain Name Permutation: ThreatNG automatically generates and analyzes various permutations of a brand's domain name, including common misspellings and variations, to identify potentially typosquatted domains.

ThreatNG's external assessment capabilities provide valuable insights into an organization's vulnerability to typosquatting attacks. This includes:

• DNS INtelligence: ThreatNG provides a comprehensive domain overview, including its registration details, DNS records, and associated websites. This helps identify potentially typosquatted domains that may be impersonating the brand.

• Brand Damage Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses a brand's susceptibility to damage, including damage caused by typosquatting attacks. This assessment considers various factors, such as the organization's online reputation and presence on social media.

Reporting and Continuous Monitoring

ThreatNG generates detailed reports that highlight potential typosquatting threats and vulnerabilities. These reports can be customized to meet the needs of different stakeholders, including executives, security teams, and brand protection officers.

ThreatNG also continuously monitors the external attack surface, allowing organizations to detect and respond to new typosquatting threats in real time. This helps proactively identify and mitigate new typosquatting domains targeting the brand's users.

Investigation Modules and Intelligence Repositories

ThreatNG offers a variety of investigation modules that can be used to analyze potential typosquatting threats in more detail. These modules include:

• Domain Intelligence: This module provides detailed information about a domain, including its registration details, DNS records, and associated websites. This information can be used to identify typosquatted domains impersonating the brand.

• WHOIS Intelligence: This module analyzes WHOIS records to identify potentially suspicious domain registrations, such as those registered anonymously or using privacy services, which may indicate typosquatting attempts.

ThreatNG also maintains various intelligence repositories containing information about known threats and vulnerabilities. These repositories include:

• Dark web: This repository contains information about typosquatting domains and other threats being discussed on the dark web.

Working with Complementary Solutions

ThreatNG can integrate with complementary solutions to provide a more comprehensive approach to typosquatting prevention and mitigation. These solutions include:

• Domain monitoring and takedown services: ThreatNG can integrate with domain monitoring and takedown services to help organizations quickly identify and remove typosquatting domains impersonating their brand.

• Brand protection and anti-counterfeiting solutions: ThreatNG can integrate with brand protection and anti-counterfeiting solutions to help organizations identify and mitigate a wider range of brand impersonation and abuse tactics, including typosquatting.

Examples of ThreatNG Helping

• ThreatNG identified a typosquatting domain impersonating a customer's brand and collecting user credentials. The customer could remove the typosquatting domain and prevent further damage to their reputation.

• ThreatNG detected a network of typosquatting domains redirecting users to malicious websites. The customer was able to block access to these domains and protect their users from potential harm.

Examples of ThreatNG Working with Complementary Solutions

• ThreatNG integrated with a customer's domain monitoring service to provide real-time alerts about newly registered typosquatting domains. This allowed the customer to quickly take down the typosquatting domains and prevent any damage to their brand.

• ThreatNG integrated with a customer's brand protection solution to provide a more comprehensive view of brand impersonation and abuse tactics. This allowed the customer to identify and mitigate various threats, including typosquatting, phishing, and social media impersonation.

By leveraging its comprehensive capabilities and integrating complementary solutions, ThreatNG provides a robust defense against typosquatting attacks. This helps organizations protect their brand reputation, maintain customer trust, and ensure the long-term success of their business.