Windows and Android users are being targeted by hackers using deliberately misspelt domains for some of the world's most popular websites - known as typosquatting. Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, said the attack is large-scale and malicious.
Marijus said: “The scale of this malicious cyber campaign is worrying, and anyone using Windows or Android operating systems needs to be on their mettle. While many forms of hacking like phishing rely on tempting users into mistakes, this method anticipates consumer errors as a starting point.
“With typosquatting, cyber attackers set out to profit from finger slips and the incorrect spelling of well-known businesses and tools online. Bad actors can register multiple domains using slight variations of a company name like PayPal or TikTok then imitate that website and wait for unwary visitors to connect.
“While visiting the site itself may not do any damage, these spoofed versions are likely to be laced with malware - leaving Windows and Android users particularly vulnerable. They are set up to steal the credentials of users who interact with it.
“To avoid the risk of falling for this scam, it’s worth using a search engine to find a website rather than typing directly into the address bar. This should return the correct site name as its top hit, even if you misspelt it.
“Threat protection software can also highlight any malicious websites before you click on them.”
