Microsoft 'URL Tracer' Hunts Typosquatters

TonioSop writes "Microsoft Research has released a new tool to help pinpoint large-scale typosquatters 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 typosquatting scheme that uses multilayer URL redirection to make money from Google's AdSense for domains program. "

Comments

Sleezy - glad someone is looking into it

[fak3r]

Squatting on domains is one thing, but having them resolve to some default "search" page is just bs - the fact that some of those screens show disneychanel.com mis-spelled going to porn sites makes me sick - kids are going to be misspelling (!) that...fuckers. Then, here's a site that allows you to "park" yr domain to make money on people misspelling (!) URLS:

"Sedo's new Domain Parking Program lets you earn money from your domain names without needing to develop your own site. Even better, Sedo's statistics show that domains parked with Sedo are 5 times more likely to be sold!"

http://sedoparking.com/

Re:Great news.

[Anonymous Coward]

Looks like it's a new word from 2000 : http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinitio n/0,,sid26_gci342237,00.html

Or at least 2002 : http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://searchwebservi ces.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci342237, 00.html

Another example

[fak3r]

If you have a domain you can also 'park' it here to earn revenue..

http://www.fabulous.com/

If you don't have one they'll sell you one and have it earn revenue. Are these the sites that just pollute the hell outta search engines so when you search for "mp3 downloads" you get 100s of these results? Is this how they generate revenue?

Plus a URL that I want is hosted there, I thought it might be there's but I suspect it's just someone who bought it through them and is hosting it there !?!? Thanks jacka55e5

Opera...

[turtleAJ]

THANK YOU!!!

A person that also uses Opera!

This is a GREAT piece of software... Kudos to the Opera team... and I suggest to fellow /.ers... to try out Opera... just try it out... INMO, it kicks FireFox's ass ANY day.

Thanks.

Wow

[TubeSteak]

AdSense for domains allows domain name registrars and large domain name holders to unlock the value in their parked page inventory. AdSense for domains delivers targeted, conceptually related keywords and advertisements to parked domain name pages by using Google's semantic technology to "understand" the meaning of each domain name. Powering over 3 million domain names, AdSense for domains is the industry's leading parked page service.

From the FAQ
5. What is the minimum amount of traffic I need to sign up for a AdSense for domains account?

Your network of sites should generate 750,000 page views per month to be eligible for the AdSense for domains service.

I didn't know Google was into the same dodgy business.
I guess that means it isn't evil...