Friday, April 07, 2006

Microsoft Looks to Thwart 'Typosquatters' With New Tool



Ryan Narain writes on eWeek:

Microsoft Research has released a new tool to help pinpoint large-scale typo-squatters that are known to be gaming pay-per-click domain parking services.

The lightweight prototype, called Strider URL Tracer, builds on the work within Microsoft's Cybersecurity and Systems Management group to keep tabs on a sophisticated typos-quatting scheme that uses multilayer URL redirection to make money from Google's AdSense for domains program.

Yi-Min Wang, who heads up the group's work in Redmond, Wash., said URL Tracer can be used as a parental control tool to block inappropriate ads from being served from Web sites that are set up to deliberately lure kids who accidentally misspell a popular domain.

One live example, Wang said, is the way the virtual pet site at NeoPets.com has been targeted by typo-squatters to serve pornographic-themed ads if it is misspelled. One such misspelling, neoppets.com, is currently serving ads promising naked photos of Britney Spears or other adult images.

More here.

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