Post
Topic
Board Scam Accusations
Re: What is Punycode and how to protect yourself from Homograph Phishing attacks?
by
wwzsocki
on 17/09/2019, 08:41:49 UTC
Nice and informative article @wwzsocki. I found an article where it says how to avoid Punycode attacks and also who all are affected by that. I would like to include that here. Some of the examples of Punycode attacks with big brands -



Check the 7 Ways to avoid a Punycode attack -

  • Be cautious if the site presses you to do something quickly. This is a classic strategy by hackers to rush their potential victims so that they are less likely to notice anything suspicious. Often they will offer a ‘limited time only’ deal, and make it difficult to exit the page with ‘are you sure you want to exit’ pop ups: these are all tactics to make you stay on their site longer and give them your details.
  • If you are being offered a deal, go to the original company site and check if it’s available there as well, if not it’s mostly likely a scam doing it’s best to mimic the established brand and trick visitors into handing over their details.
  • If some of the letters in the address bar look weird, or the website design looks different, rewrite it or visit the original company URL in a new tab to compare. The letters in the address bar looking strange is a key indicator that punycode is being used to trick you into thinking you are visiting a well-established brand site when in fact you are being taken to a malicious site.
  • Use a password manager; this reduces the risk of pasting passwords into dodgy sites.
  • Force your browser to display Punycode names, this option is available in Firefox.
  • Click on the padlock to view and inspect the HTTPS certificate.
  • Use a mobile security solution and artificial intelligence to monitor all data traffic and to detect and block phishing links.
Source: Punycode attacks - the fake domains that are impossible to detect

Thanks for this comment and info. I already awarded you with merit and will use it in my OP if you don't mind?

I want to add all these points from "7 Ways to avoid a Punycode attack". I think it will make this article complete when I will add it in the end.