Evil doppelgangers may not exist in the real world, but virtually every web or email address can potentially be a victim of doppelganger domains. One cybersecurity agency reported an average of almost 40 doppelganger domain attacks per month for every business they assist.
Avoiding these malicious scam attacks requires that you know what to look for. Unfortunately, these hackers rely on victims not giving them a second glance to analyze the information. Understanding what a domain doppelganger is, what the risk is, and examples of what they look like are important for every business or organization.
Spotting a doppelganger
What exactly is a doppelganger domain? Put simply, a doppelganger domain is a lookalike pretending to be a legitimate organization but deceives people with its appearance. For example, doppelganger domains may claim to be Golden West but provide an incorrect web address.
Lookalikes can pretend to be people, companies, branded content, and more. Oftentimes, organizations, businesses, and companies are used to target victims since they have an online presence.
Here’s some examples of the most common ways malicious domains are used to trick people:
- g0ldenwest.com – Replaces the letter “o” with the number “0.”
- goldenwest.co – Uses a different top-level domain, such as “.co” instead of “.com.”
- goldenwesst.com – Adds an extra letter “s.”
- g0lden-west.com – Combines a number substitution and a hyphen.
- goldenwst.com – Omits the letter “e.”
Risky business
Lookalike domains are powerful tools for attackers, as they support various types of cyberattacks. These domains can host fake websites, send emails, and more. Lookalike domains appear authentic because they can bypass security filters coming from registered domains on legitimate servers. This allows phishing emails and ransomware to slip past authentication measures, posing a significant risk to organizations.
If one of these lookalike domains fools a victim into clicking, it can compromise the victim’s device, account, and network. Due to the impersonation tactics used by domain doppelgangers, they also pose a risk to the brand of the business or organization whose identity was duped.
While it is impossible to prevent people from pretending to be legitimate online, knowing how to spot fakes is important. Oftentimes, human errors can impact cybersecurity before any cybersecurity measures fail. Make sure a doppelganger domain doesn’t fool you or others by carefully examining communications sent to you.