Hackers built fake ComputerLand site for malware
In the last few days, the website of online shop Computerland has been entirely copied by hackers, who then used the website not only to make money but to install malware on customers' computers. This is reported by Tweakers.
At the start of August, con-men registered the domain name 'computer-outlet.nl' at hosting site Versio. The days after this, hackers worked hard to make their fake site look exactly like that of Computerland. Las weekend, signals came through at Computerland, as well as Tweakers, that something was not right at computerland-outlet.nl. On Monday, Computerland sounded the alarm.
Customers of the fake site wrote reports on a Tweakers forum that they were receiving emails with malware, as well as being tricked out of money via the fake site. Clients received emails after purchases, with attached files. Opening these files would install malware on their computers, they say on the forum. A chat function was also built into the fake site, through which the hackers would convince customers to install malware through an infected link.
Henk Tompot of the real Computerland tells Tweakers that they took immediate action on Monday. "We sought contact with Versio and also got advice from the SIDN. With the SIDN, we started the procedure to take the site offline That process went well, and we also filed a report with the police."
Computerland worked together with the Foundation for Domain Name Registration in The Netherlands (SIDN) to make computerand-outlet.nl redirect customers to the real Computerland site, so that there are no more victims. "Now, we are looking to see if we can't let the site of the hackers be redirected to a black hole", says Tompot.
Domain-name copying and theft has been used before on shops such as Dixons with the, now removed domain dixxonx.nl. According to several victims, this is the handywork of a notorious conman who has made victims of various names via faked websites, and advertising for these websites though, for example, Marktplaats.
