Description: The homographic attack is a type of phishing attack that uses visually similar characters to deceive users into visiting malicious websites. This type of attack relies on manipulating character encoding, where letters and symbols that resemble legitimate characters in a URL are employed, but actually belong to a different domain. For example, an attacker might register a domain that looks almost identical to a legitimate one, using characters from different alphabets, such as Cyrillic or Greek, which are visually similar to Latin characters. This can lead users to enter sensitive information, such as passwords or banking data, on a site that appears authentic. The difficulty in detecting these attacks lies in the fact that the differences are subtle and can go unnoticed by the human eye. Therefore, it is crucial for users to be cautious when clicking on links and to always verify the authenticity of URLs before providing personal information.
History: The concept of homographic attacks began to gain attention in the mid-2000s when phishing attacks became more sophisticated. In 2001, a security researcher, Dr. S. M. A. Al-Saleh, published a paper describing how attackers could use characters from different alphabets to create deceptive URLs. Since then, several notable incidents have highlighted the effectiveness of these attacks, leading to increased awareness about online security and the need for more robust protective measures.
Uses: Homographic attacks are primarily used in the context of phishing, where attackers seek to steal sensitive information from users. These attacks are common in fraudulent emails that contain links to fake websites that mimic legitimate ones. They can also be used in social engineering campaigns, where attackers attempt to manipulate victims into revealing personal or financial information.
Examples: An example of a homographic attack occurred in 2006 when an attacker registered a domain ‘paypal.com’ using Cyrillic characters, leading many users to enter their credentials on a fake site. Another notable case was in 2017 when it was discovered that several domains mimicking Google and Facebook used similar characters to deceive users and steal personal information.
