CircleID

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)

Related topics: Cybercrime, Domain Names, Security, Spam, Web