Cybercriminals are using SSL certificates installed on fake domains to fool users into thinking that the websites are genuine. The websites often use names that closely resemble a well-known brand. We have previously reported that criminals have been using domains containing typos to obtain website traffic and fool the unwary; however, it is also common for domains to be purchased using a well-known company name with additional words added to the end.
Because the websites contain the brand name, many visitors will be fooled into thinking that the websites are genuine. This is even more likely if a website has a valid SSL certificate and displays a padlock next to the URL. This is seen as a sign by many consumers that the website is real. A SSL certificate can no longer be trusted. It is only one indication that a website is genuine. Many new websites are offered a free SSL certificate.
Electronic Frontier Foundation phishing scam brought to an end
One website that has been fooling visitors into thinking the site was official is believed to have been set up by the cybercriminals behind the Pawn Storm phishing campaign: A group of hackers known as APT28. The group, which has links to the Russian government, used the brand name of the Electronic Frontier Foundation as part of a phishing campaign.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation phishing campaign used a .org website with the domain name, ElectronicFrontierFoundation. The official site used by the company is also a .org, but just uses the company’s initials: EFF.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation phishing site was not used to obtain bank account or credit card details, instead it was used to spread malware. The fake site was discovered to contain malware that exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Java software.
Electronic Frontier Foundation was alerted to the existence of the website and issued a complaint to the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) – an organization that helps protect the intellectual property rights of corporations. After assessing the compliant, WIPO ruled that Electronic Frontier Foundation was entitled to take control of the domain, which has been ordered to be transferred to the non-profit digital rights group. Once that happens, the site will no longer pose a threat and ownership will be transferred from an individual based in Bali, Indonesia.
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Organizations believing their copyright has been infringed can attempt to claim a registered domain by following the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) set up by ICANN. However, it can take a long time for the process to be completed. All the time that a fake domain is active it can result in a loss of income for the company concerned. Many customers or potential customers could have malware installed or be defrauded until the matter has been addressed and ownership of the website transferred.
In a case such as this, the domain name and SSL certificate made the website appear 100% legitimate, which no doubt resulted in many people having their computers infected with the malware.