Even dead websites aren't safe — experts warn hackers are spending millions on expired domains to enable malware scams

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• Infoblox Threat Intel counted roughly 65,000 expired domains re-registered every day in the first half of 2026, close to one in five of all new registrations
• An actor it calls Sable Squirrel controls more than 10,000 domains and is estimated, by extrapolation, to have spent over $7 million buying expired names for their inherited traffic and domain authority
• Some of the domains are also used to function as command-and-control structures for existing malware that can be traced back to the same group

A domain name is the closest thing the web has to a credit history: age, inbound links, search visibility, and reputation all feed the reputation scores that security products consult before deciding whether a request is worth worrying about.