CAPEC-632: Homograph Attack via Homoglyphs
Description
An adversary registers a domain name containing a homoglyph, leading the registered domain to appear the same as a trusted domain. A homograph attack leverages the fact that different characters among various character sets look the same to the user. Homograph attacks must generally be combined with other attacks, such as phishing attacks, in order to direct Internet traffic to the adversary-controlled destinations.
- Likelihood of attack
- Low
- Typical severity
- Medium
- Abstraction
- DetailedA low-level, detailed pattern, often for a particular technology.
Mechanism of attack: Engage in Deceptive Interactions
Prerequisites
- An adversary requires knowledge of popular or high traffic domains, that could be used to deceive potential targets.
Skills required
- LowAdversaries must be able to register DNS hostnames/URL’s.
Consequences
- Other
Other
Depending on the intention of the adversary, a successful Homograph attack can be leveraged to execute more complex attacks such as cross-site scripting or stealing account credentials.
Mitigations
- Authenticate all servers and perform redundant checks when using DNS hostnames.
- Utilize browsers that can warn users if URLs contain characters from different character sets.