Can you spot three fake websites and compare the three fake websites to three real websites, plus showcase what makes the fake websites fake?
For this assignment, I was tasked to spot three fake websites. Though I do not feel comfortable with visiting fake websites due to the risk of being infected with a virus, there are several red flags to look for when it comes to fake websites. One of them being that if the website is overloaded with ads, it could be bad news. This is an example of adware, perhaps because the fake website is insecure and can be easily infected by adware and hackers. Another example is looking for key small misspellings in the DNS name. For example, faceb0ok.com, twitter.com, gmali.com. Attackers utilize these subtle changes to lure victims into entering their credentials for these popular websites, which hackers capture and then use those credentials to hack into their real accounts.
Another red flag to look for in websites are particularly promising “good deals”. For example, visiting a website that advertises “a 95% discount for an originally priced $250 tool!”. Attackers use these fake discounts to harvest credit card information from users. When they attempt to order the fake product, keyloggers or packet captures take the credit card and shipping information. Frequent pop-ups and redirects are also a sign of a fake website. This website is likely not certified and secure, causing them to be infected with third-party pop-ups and redirects. These are designed to attempt to run exploits or redirect users to fake pages. They may even utilize fake “Your computer has a virus! Download our virus removal tool.” messages to scare someone into downloading malware on their computer. Finally, another key factor that can differentiate between real and fake websites is poor design. Are there misspellings in the website links and buttons? Are the images low quality, or not there at all?
In conclusion, real websites will most of the time have a secure HTTPS connection, a valid DNS name, and will not be filled with bots and adware. Consider checking the DNS names, questioning too-good-to-be-true deals and messages, and remaining wary of a website that has several pop ups and redirects. These are all signs of malicious software embedded in a fake interface in order to lure as many victims in as possible.