From TLD-Swaps to Repetitions: How to Shrink Your External Attack Surface

When discussing an organization's external attack surface, most people think about exposed ports, unpatched vulnerabilities, and misconfigured cloud assets. While these are critical components, the threat landscape extends far beyond them. The external attack surface also includes a subtle, yet highly dangerous, layer of look-alike domains and brand impersonations. These fraudulent sites are not just simple typos; they are sophisticated manipulations designed to deceive customers, steal data, and launch attacks against your organization.

Shrinking your attack surface requires a proactive approach that anticipates and neutralizes these threats before they can be exploited.

Uncovering the Full Spectrum of Domain Manipulations

ThreatNG’s Domain Name Permutations capability is a cornerstone of effective External Attack Surface Management (EASM). It doesn't just wait for a known phishing domain to appear; it proactively generates and analyzes a comprehensive range of domain variations to uncover potential threats. Each type of manipulation it finds represents a unique and dangerous attack vector.

• TLD-Swaps: This involves using a different Top-Level Domain to mimic the original, such as using mycompany.net instead of mycompany.com. This is a common tactic for creating fake login pages or service portals.

• Repetitions: Attackers duplicate a character within the domain name, like myycompany.com. This preys on users who type quickly or don't scrutinize URLs.

• Insertions: A single character is added to a domain name, such as myccompany.com.

• Omissions: A character is removed from the domain name, like mycmpany.com.

• Bitsquatting: This is a subtle digital typo where a domain is off by a single bit, often resulting in a visually similar but misspelled name, like gogle.com instead of google.com.

• Homoglyphs: Visually identical characters from different alphabets are used to deceive the human eye, such as replacing a Latin 'a' with a Cyrillic 'а' to create exаmple.com.

ThreatNG finds all of these variations and more, including Additions, Dictionary Additions, Hyphenations, Replacements, Substitutions, Transpositions, Subdomain Impersonation, and Vowel Swaps. For every fraudulent domain that is already taken, ThreatNG provides its associated IP address and mail record, giving you the critical information needed to respond immediately.

The Bridge to Broader External Attack Surface Management Solutions

Discovering a malicious domain is a crucial first step, but a robust external attack surface management (EASM) strategy requires a more holistic approach. ThreatNG seamlessly connects this initial threat discovery to broader capabilities, allowing for a complete and actionable response.

Advanced Search: Turning Findings into Focused Investigations

Once a fraudulent domain is identified, an analyst can use ThreatNG's Advanced Search to investigate and find specific data to inform their response quickly. Instead of manually sifting through results, an analyst can use search parameters and filters to pinpoint critical information. For example, if ThreatNG’s Domain Name Permutations capability flags a potential phishing domain, an analyst can use the advanced search to quickly look up the domain and investigate its HTTP responses for telltale signs of a login page or its DNS records to identify the hosting provider. This streamlined investigation facility accelerates the process of identifying a threat and gathering the necessary intelligence to neutralize it.

IP Intelligence & Certificate Intelligence: Uncovering Malicious Infrastructure

The IP address and mail record provided by ThreatNG for a taken domain are just the beginning. The platform's IP Intelligence module can be used to uncover a broader network of malicious infrastructure. An analyst can pivot from a single suspicious IP address to identify other domains hosted on the same IP, revealing a cluster of fraudulent sites potentially operated by the same threat actor.

Similarly, the Certificate Intelligence module allows an analyst to investigate the fraudulent domain's TLS certificate. By analyzing the certificate issuer and associated organizations, an analyst can uncover if a single threat actor is using the same certificate authority for multiple fake domains to bypass security controls. For example, a search for an issuer's name could reveal that the same certificate is being used on myc0mpany.com and several other unrelated fraudulent sites like paypa1.com, exposing a larger malicious campaign.

Breach & Ransomware Susceptibility: From Discovery to Prevention

Proactively addressing look-alike domains and other external risks has a direct and tangible impact on an organization's overall security posture. ThreatNG's Domain Name Permutations helps to improve an organization’s security rating by reducing its susceptibility to more damaging cyberattacks. For instance, by identifying and mitigating a phishing domain created via a TLD-swap, an organization can prevent a phishing campaign that would otherwise lead to a compromised credentials event.

This proactive approach directly reduces an organization's susceptibility to Breach & Ransomware attacks, as compromised credentials are a key initial access vector for attackers. By stopping these threats at the source, ThreatNG helps you strengthen your defenses and reduce your overall cyber risk.

Take Control of Your External Attack Surface

The external attack surface is constantly changing, and attackers are always looking for new ways to exploit your brand and deceive your users. A reactive approach leaves you vulnerable. Proactive threat identification, starting with a comprehensive analysis of domain permutations, is essential to securing your organization's digital identity.

Don't wait for an attack to happen. Discover how ThreatNG helps you identify and mitigate hidden threats, reduce your attack surface, and safeguard your brand.