Typing in wrong URL can lead to your PC/laptop being infected with deadly malware
Endgame, an online cybersecurity firm warns that one-letter typo can leave your computer or phone more vulnerable to malicious software. Endgame’s Malware Research and Threat Intelligence team investigated this type of security ploy and claims that it is a new version of old “typo squatting” scam — the practice of purchasing domain names similar to legitimate websites in hopes that a small keyboard snafu nets hackers access to your computer.
According to Endgame, particularly typing “.om” instead of “.com” at the end of a website address after you’ve typed in some popular urls on the browser is a progressively risky error. Ill-willed cybercriminals are taking advantage of the “.om” website suffix.
Endgame discovered this scam after a company employee incorrectly typed “Netflix.om” rather than Netflix.com when he tried to watch the newest episode of “House of Cards” early this month.
Describing the incident in a recent Endgame blog post:
“He did not get a DNS resolution error, which would have indicated the domain he typed doesn’t exist. Instead, due to the registration of “netflix.om” by a malicious actor, the domain resolved successfully. His browser was immediately redirected several times, and eventually landed on a ‘Flash Updater’ page with all the usual annoying (and to an untrained user, terrifying) scareware pop-ups.”
The employee knew he had to leave the site immediately and not click on any of the pop-ups or other malicious content, because doing so could have led to malicious software being installed on his computer or various other types of attack, Endgame reports.
On further research, Endgame found the streaming service wasn’t the only popular url being “om’ed. Though some sites bearing that ending were legitimate, 319 .om domains appeared to have some type of scheme attached to them. (For instance, Fake Flash Updates are commonly linked to a well-known malware named Genio which will install itself as a browser extension and will cause pop-ups and other nuisance on your device or computer and mine data.)
There are hundreds of domain names, which can compromise your computer and mobile devices that trick you into downloading malware that could destroy your operating system. Some notable examples are “adidas.om,” “adobe.om,” “amazon.om,” “amazonc.om,” and “americanexpress.om.” You can see a full list of the potentially dangerous domains below.
For better Internet safety, it’s recommended that you only go to trusted and encrypted websites (double-check the spelling of each address); keep away from clicking on links in unsolicited emails and keep your security software up to date.
Here’s the complete list of sketchy “.om” sites found so far:
126.om
163.om
1688.om
17173.om
28.om
4399.om
53.om
58.om
6pm.om
6pmc.om
aa.om
aaa.om
aac.om
abercrombie.om
adidas.om
adobe.om
adp.om
aetna.om
agoda.om
alibaba.om
aliexpress.om
aliexpressc.om
aljazeera.om
amazon.om
amazonc.om
americanexpress.om
ameritrade.om
ancestry.om
aol.om
aolc.om
ask.om
asos.om
att.om
autotrader.om
autozone.om
avg.om
badoo.om
baidu.om
baiduc.om
bankofamerica.om
barnesandnoble.om
beeg.om
bestbuy.om
bestbuyc.om
bet365.om
bet365c.om
betfair.om
bing.om
blogfa.om
blogger.om
blogspot.om
bol.om
bolc.om
boohoo.om
bookingc.om
capitalone.om
cbs.om
chasec.om
cheapoair.om
chegg.om
cibc.om
citi.om
citibank.om
citibankc.om
cj.om
cnet.om
cnn.om
cnnc.om
costco.om
creditkarma.om
ctrip.om
cvs.om
dailymotion.om
dangdang.om
dell.om
delta.om
deviantart.om
digg.om
directv.om
discovercard.om
douban.om
dropbox.om
drugstore.om
dubizzle.om
dw.om
dx.om
eastbay.om
eastmoney.om
ebates.om
ebayc.om
enterprise.om
etao.om
etrade.om
etsy.om
evite.om
expediac.om
facebookc.om
fedex.om
fiverr.om
flickr.om
flipkart.om
fnac.om
footlocker.om
forever21.om
fox.om
foxnews.om
freelancer.om
ft.om
gamestop.om
ganji.om
geico.om
gilt.om
github.om
gizmodo.om
globo.om
gmail.om
gnc.om
go.om
godaddy.om
googlec.om
groupon.om
hao123.om
haosou.om
hi5.om
hilton.om
homedepot.om
hotelsc.om
hottopic.om
hotwirec.om
hp.om
hsn.om
htc.om
huanqiu.om
huffingtonpost.om
hulu.om
hupu.om
ifeng.om
ign.om
ihg.om
ikea.om
imdb.om
imgur.om
indeed.om
instagram.om
instagramc.om
intuit.om
iqiyi.om
istockphoto.om
jcpenney.om
jcrew.om
jd.om
jdc.om
jet.om
kaspersky.om
kayak.om
kayakc.om
kmart.om
kohls.om
kooora.om
lan.om
lastminute.om
lenovo.om
linkedin.om
linkedinc.om
live.om
livejournal.om
livescore.om
lowes.om
lufthansa.om
macys.om
mapquest.om
meituan.om
mi.om
miniinthebox.om
mlb.om
monster.om
monsterc.om
msnc.om
mtv.om
nascar.om
nba.om
nbc.om
netflix.om
newegg.om
nfl.om
nhl.om
nike.om
nj.om
nordstrom.om
norton.om
nuomi.om
office365.om
officedepot.om
okcupid.om
oldnavy.om
one.om
opentable.om
oracle.om
orbitz.om
outlook.om
outlookc.om
overstock.om
pandora.om
paypal.om
paypalc.om
pch.om
photobucket.om
pinterest.om
pnc.om
pof.om
pogo.om
priceline.om
progressive.om
qq.om
qqc.om
qunar.om
qvc.om
qz.om
realtor.om
realtorc.om
reddit.om
rediff.om
rei.om
renren.om
rr.om
samsclub.om
samsung.om
scottrade.om
sears.om
shutterfly.om
si.om
skype.om
snapdeal.om
sogou.om
sohu.om
sony.om
soundcloud.om
southwest.om
sportsdirect.om
spotify.om
sprint.om
staplesc.om
starbucks.om
statefarm.om
steampowered.om
stubhub.om
suning.om
suntrust.om
t-mobile.om
taobao.om
taobaoc.om
targetc.om
tdcanadatrust.om
tesco.om
ticketmaster.om
tigerdirect.om
tmall.om
tmallc.om
tmz.om
toysrus.om
travelocity.om
trulia.om
tudou.om
tumblr.om
tuniu.om
united.om
ups.om
urbanoutfitters.om
usaa.om
usaac.om
usbankc.om
usps.om
vanguard.om
verizon.om
verizonwireless.om
vimeo.om
vip.om
vistaprint.om
vk.om
vkc.om
vrbo.om
vueling.om
walgreens.om
walmart.om
walmartc.om
wayfair.om
weatherc.om
webmd.om
weibo.om
weiboc.om
wellsfargo.om
wellsfargoc.om
wetter.om
whatsapp.om
williamhill.om
woot.om
wordpress.om
wordpressc.om
wsj.om
wwe.om
xbox.om
xe.om
xvideos.om
y8.om
yahoo.om
yahooc.om
yandex.om
yatra.om
yellowpages.om
yelp.om
yhd.om
youku.om
youtube.om
youtubec.om
zappos.om
zapposc.om
zara.om
zillow.om
zulily.om
