Microsoft Tool To Help Users Avoid Typo Domains

blueZ3 writes "ZDnet is running a story on a new tool from Microsoft that aims to inform users when they reach 'typo domains'. Apparently, there's concern in Redmond that IE users are being exploited by companies running ad farms on typo domains. The tool uses an automated search routine to look for domains with particular types of typographical errors--transpositions, incorrect TLDs, missing letters--and then adds the domains to a database. The eventual goal (though this isn't clear from the article) seems to be something akin to Verisign's URL redirecting, where typo domains are blocked."

Misspelled domain data

The article isn't entirely clear whether the app reports back to MS your web surfing locations. Granted, it could be useful to see what the user is commonly misspelling, but at the same time, I really have no interest in relinquishing this information.

Jim -- http://www.runfatboy.net/ [runfatboy.net] -- A workout plan that doesn't feel like homework.

Re:Misspelled domain data

The article isn't entirely clear whether the app reports back to MS your web surfing locations.

Yeah. Thank God, we can rely on Google to not do anything like that. Can you imagine what potential for misuse there would be if a company like Google recorded your web surfing habits?

I wish they have a funky paper clip that says:

I wish they have a funky paper clip that pops up and says:

Hi there, I noticed you are about to visit a TLD web-site.
The address www.apple.com/macosx appears to be a misspelling of the address of a legitimate site http://www.microsoft.com/Genuine/.
Sites that use spelling variations of legitimate sites and companies may be used in "phishing" schemes to trick users into revealing their access accounts, credit card data, and other personal information.

• To learn more about online "phishing" click here

• If you understand the security implications of visiting potentially dangerous sites, and still wish to continue to www.apple.com/macosx, click here

• If you wish to be redirected to the original site http://www.microsoft.com/Genuine/ either click here or simply wait 5 seconds.

That sure is a good headline

Anyone who does that job is most definitely a tool.

first one up:

"www.google.com"

Did you mean "search.msn.com"?

Re:first one up:

have you every tried www.goggle.com ?
It's pretty bad. A popup got around firefox, automatically starts a file download gsetup.exe, etc.

Sounds great, but may be damaging to some

This sounds like a great idea, but I can see some legitimate causes being harmed. For instance, Untied.com [untied.com] is a typo of United, which is used to protest some labor practices at United Airlines [united.com].

I guess the question is, how is MS going to determine the legitimate misspellings from the illegitimate misspellings? Certainly United doesn't like the misspelling above, but it's not anti-consumer like misspelling a company name and winding up at a spam site, or worse yet, a phishing site. -- Paul

Swipe at Google?

Is this a strategic swipe at Google's ad revenue for parked domains?

Not the same goal

Verisign redirected you by DNS, this seems like more of a client side tool. I wouldn't have any problem with it if it was an optional Windows setting or uninstall tool.

I'd be more concerned about phishing

Ending up at a link farm isn't any fun, but at least it's not dangerous. But you're told to type URLs from email rather than copy-and-paste, and then you risk being screwed by your own typo. Even going to your own bank is risky if you type without consciously typo-checking the URL.

Argh! Dupe!

I thought for sure that there would be enough Subscribers send email to the DaddyPants address that this one would be yanked.

Well, for reference, here are all the +4 and +5 comments from last week's installment of this story, so you karma whores can repost them and hope the moderators don't see through your ruse...

Microsoft 'URL Tracer' Hunts Typosquatters [slashdot.org]

Meanwhile, you can blame me for jinxing it.

Ghost Article: M'soft Tool To Help Users Avoid Typo Domains [slashdot.org]

Oh, how awful!

Apparently, there's concern in Redmond that IE users are being exploited by companies running ad farms on typo domains.

How dare those other companies! Nobody's allowed to exploit Microsoft's users except Microsoft!

Is there really need?

I have relatives that are not computer literate. But when they visit a website by typing in its URL and they see a site that isn't what they were expecting, they know to check the spelling of the URL. As far as they are concerned, it's like dialing a wrong phone number.

It seems to me that Microsoft is wasting resources on something that isn't really necessary.

never heard of

oh, he said something about linux, I wonder what's that? Let me try and check this (types linux.com in browser). Hmm it's just some typo, maybe I haven't heard him clearly, oh well...

Oh, you mean like redirecting MikeRoweSoft.com?

Stupid parents to have their son's name collide with phonetics of Microsoft [slashdot.org].

A shot at Google

It may not look like it, but this is a strategic move against Google.

Google makes a significant amount of money of bulk domainers. Domainers are people who buy domains in bulk, expecting to make revenue off inexperienced users tying words directly into the URL bar, variations/misspellings on popular domain names etc). An example is something like http://www.bloggerforums.com/ [bloggerforums.com].

By making users aware of what's going on, they'll be more likely to fix the problem themself (instead of clicking one of the sponsored links by Google), thus cutting a part of the revenue stream. (How big? Well, Google obviously isn't going to say, but it's estimated to be way into the hundred of millions.)

There is a much easier way....

There is a much easier way to block 99% of the typosquatters - they have a very small number of IP addresses they park their domains on.

Block those IP addresses, block the squatters.

Check it out for yourself - fire up your favorite DNS query tool, and plug in some typos.

pron.com

will typing pron.com send me to porn.com? or vice-versa?

Tom

Tough Calls

Microsoft domain corrector has detected that you may have mis-typed your desination address.

You were trying to access, "whitehouse.gov".
Did you really mean, "whitehouse.com"?

not just typos

I really hate domain squatters. It's not just typos, but just cool domains that could be used for a legitimate site are just ads. IE the.com, yeah.com, sloths.com... Actually one time I was snooping around the directories of sloths.com looking for contact info to see if I could buy the domain when I came across a sql.txt file that told me their passwords.

I've emailed Google several times about this [google.com] awful program. I hate all forms of advertising, but it just makes me mad to see cool domains used for illegitimate purposes. People say it's just another business, but they are stupid.

Wonder if they'd open the protocol / database

If Microsoft would open the protocol and/or the database there could be a way to implement this in other browsers too. Perhaps a web service. If they really think this is that big of a problem then a free service would convince me they're serious.

Only a band-aid

This problem exists because users seem to place an unhealthy emphasis on a DNS domain name as a web topic. Perhaps we should be looking at ways of de-emphasizing a DNS domain name's importance in identifying content and start looking for ways to let users find specific pieces of information in a reliable manner using some other tool (such as an X.500 or LDAP directory of official organization names, registered trade marks, service marks, etc.).

Until users stop thinking that they can just add a .com to their search term and get "official" content, this will remain a problem. Determining what domain names are squatters and what domains aren't is fairly easy today, but it will only be a matter of time (and a brief amount of time at that) before these typosquatters just dress their pages up to look a little more substantial and your horribly subjective test will start to fail.

Hose IE

I cannot remember all the times when I made a mistake and went to one of those "search" index sites because I know they will hose up your IE. I panic and just shut off IE as hastily is I can. I know a spyware-hosting site when I see one. I still panic when it happens to me when on Linux using FF or Konquorer. I don't use IE, not just because I don't use Windows, but because it gets pwnd all the time.

Good MS

Honestly, I think this is a good thing. MS is going to the root of the cause, which is when ol' Joe Sixpack types in google but misspells and downloads personal search bar from some random IP address.

This along with the phishing filter will hopefully solve alot of web crime and issues like that.

Say good bye to...

MikeRoweSoft.com [cnn.com]

I must be missing something

Aside from phishing attempts, which is a legitimate concern (but imo should be addressed by the company that is getting spoofed), what is the big deal about typo squatting?

I enter in a lot of my URLs by hand. I frequently make typos because I was typing them too fast. I see a page that isn't what I was expecting or that is obviously a link farm, I just re-type the URL.

Or I use bookmarks. Or I use Google.

I see you're trying to type Firefox ...

did you mean Internet Explorer?

Where's it going to send you?

Let's say you want to go to www.omgponies.com [omgponies.com] and typo it as omg!ponies!.com. Where do you end up going, and do you really deserve to be there?

Win-Win/Win-Lose?

Well, I'm for anything that will stick it to site-squatting parasites. I had to go with my second choice when naming my game suite because a link-farm scum was sitting on the domain I wanted.

Mind you though, there's a pretty big potential for abuse. What will the protection fees be against ending up on this list?

Seems like win-win from Microsoft's POV though. ;)

Where do you want to go today?

We think you are trying to type in 'www.microsoft.com', please wait while we take you there.

"there's concern in Redmond..."

"Apparently, there's concern in Redmond that IE users are being exploited by companies running ad farms on typo domains."

It occurs to me that the only people dumb enough to use MSIE these days are precisely those sorts of users who would be susceptible to the advertising on linkfarms.

I'm not sure whether to praise Microsoft for trying to protect the retards from themselves, or to curse them for defeating the net's version of Darwinian selection...

drive me crazy

the solution is going to be worse than the problem. If I make a typo and go to the wrong site, big deal, it takes 5 seconds to correct it. Now I'm going to be nagged all all the time, well i would be nagged if used microsoft or explorer. Sounds like clippy is expanding his empire of annoyance.

lawsuit-bait

I'm betting that, despite this being an "optional" tool and users' voluntarily installing it, Microsoft will be sued by several companies who protest that their domains are legitimate despite appearing to be misspellings of other, more popular domains. And they have a point, too.

Yippee

Any typo that starts with "m" will obviously point to www.microsoft.com. And also any typo that starts with "n" too because it looks like "m".

Censoring the Net?

If you type in www.Knopper.Net, you go to www.Windows.com right?

Nothing is going to change until we shoot the bastards.

Andy Out!

It is good to know

It's good to know Microsoft is working on products like this. Really. I mean, instead of getting Vista back on schedule, they want to release things like this. Or spend money on their People Software ads.

It's sad. I think this is a Titanic starting to sink.

MS tool?

Why would you use a program called MS Tool? anyway, isn't that name a bit.. redundant?

Could be a good thing

I think a lot of people are looking at this the wrong way. It seems to be optional. I know many people run ad-blocking software with their browsers due to all the obnoxious banner ads and flash ads floating about the net these days. Many of these people use filter sets that are provided by someone else. This could work quite well if Microsoft allowed the users to have custom filter sets and was easily turned off. If implemented the wrong way, yes it could be ridiculously obnoxious. At the same time if implemented properly it could be a nice feature. Worst case other web development teams can steal the idea and implemented it well if Microsoft doesn't.

I see

User: Control-L www.linux.org Enter
IE: This is a typo-squatting domain. You really meant to go to www.microsoft.com

Seriously: for software to try to determine whether two service names are confusingly similar is a really bad idea; this area is regulated by trademark law and the courts are responsible for enforcing it. What software can do is help trademark owners identify potentially confusingly similar domain names prior to going to court.

concern in Redmond

"there's concern in Redmond that IE users are being exploited by companies running ad farms on typo domains"

You mean like typing HTTP://HTTP:// and getting redirected to WWW.MICROSOFT.COM

Favorite typo domain

http://www.untied.com/ [untied.com] - which is just a merciless basher site of United Airlines (i.e. http://www.united.com/ [united.com]

It's sad and hilarious - United Airlines completely sucks

Yes

What if I really wanted to go to goggle.com? (don't, it tries to drive-by install something when you leave.)

Re:That's odd...

I thought Verisign handled non-existent domains by redirecting them all to a "buy this name" ad page. Or is that just the non-typo names?

It was all non-existent .com and .net domains. Visit http://www.icann.org/topics/wildcard-history.html [icann.org] if you want the gory details.