MessageLabs Security Company Warns About the Rise of Temporary Websites Created by Cybercriminals
“Disposable domains—commonly referred to as ‘domain kiting’—have become a significant issue. Through this method, criminals register numerous domain names for illegal purposes,” warns Mark Sunner, Chief Technology Officer at MessageLabs.
Criminals utilizing the “domain kiting” tactic typically create websites that contain links to domains for which they do not have to pay. They profit from victims visiting these websites and clicking on the links.
This fraudulent technique exploits a flaw in the domain registration system, which includes a five-day grace period. This means that after registering a domain name, the registrant can return it within five days of use or if the domain is misused, the provider can refund the domain and registration fees to the owner.
However, the latest monthly report from MessageLabs Intelligence asserts that the danger posed by the “domain kiting” tactic remained relatively stable in May.
Last month, Malaysia reported the highest virus growth rate, with an average of one in every 15 emails sent containing malicious code. Yet, this situation is not as severe as in India, where the ratio has reached one in 9.6 emails containing malware.
Hong Kong and Israel are among the countries with the largest amounts of spam, with spam rates in these countries peaking at 64%. Sunner believes that the threat of spam is increasing significantly as technologies that take control of PCs are also rapidly developing.
“Cybercriminals have changed significantly in terms of exploiting address books on systems they control using simple techniques,” Sunner stated. “These techniques have enabled traditional botnets or zombies to send millions of emails each day.”
MessageLabs reports that the global spam rate based on email traffic in May reached 57.9%. This means that one in every 1.7 emails sent is spam.
Meanwhile, the virus rate based on email traffic in May also rose to one in every 67.1 emails containing dangerous software.
Hoàng Dũng
