Researchers from Stoneni-Brook University in the United States have uncovered a new fraudulent method targeting cryptocurrency users. In an article published by scientists, the deception mechanism was detailed along with proposed protective measures.
Cryptocurrencies are typically stored in special wallets accessed through unique digital addresses. To streamline transactions, many users and platforms opt for text addresses that replace complex character combinations. Exploiting this practice, attackers are utilizing similar domain names registered in blockchain naming systems (Blockchain Naming Systems, BNS). This method bears resemblance to a well-known type of attack known as typosquatting.
Typosquatting can extend beyond the realm of cryptocurrency and be applied in software control systems such as NPM for Node.js, Pypi for Python, among others. In this scenario, attackers generate packages with names closely mirroring those of widely-used libraries, in the hopes that developers inadvertently install a malicious package in place of the legitimate one.