Research Detects Spammers Using Fake URL-Shortening Services

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Research Detects Spammers Using Fake URL-Shortening Services

By CircleID Reporter
May 25, 2011, 5:46 pm PDT Views: 15,155 Add Comment

New research has uncovered evidence of spammers establishing their own fake URL-shortening services for the first time. According to the latest MessageLabs Intelligence report (PDF), shortened links created on these fake URL-shortening sites are not included directly in spam messages; instead, the spam emails contain shortened URLs created on legitimate URL-shortening sites. “Rather than leading directly to the spammer’s final Web site, these links actually point to a shortened URL on the spammer’s fake URL-shortening Web site, which in turn redirects to the spammer’s final Web site.”

Process involved in redirecting users through spam emails and URL-shortening services.
(Source: MessageLabs Intelligence Reports)

By CircleID Reporter

CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.

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