EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
A major surge in deceptive online activity is exploiting increased consumer traffic during the holiday shopping season. Threat actors have launched a coordinated campaign that relies on registering fraudulent online retail domains designed to impersonate well‑known global brands. These bogus sites aim to mislead unsuspecting users into engaging with fake storefronts that harvest sensitive data, facilitate financial fraud, or deliver malicious payloads, all under the guise of legitimate e‑commerce experiences.
The operation consists of a large network of newly registered domains, primarily set up through overseas infrastructure providers, that mimic the visual style and branding of well‑known global retailers. Automated tooling enables rapid and continuous deployment of these sites, which often utilize privacy‑protected WHOIS records and shared hosting resources to mask attacker identities and sustain operational flexibility. Malicious lures are distributed through social media channels such as TikTok and Facebook, redirecting users to these counterfeit checkout pages where credit card information can be harvested or they are sent onward to malware installers. Common tactics include using generic e‑commerce templates, shared JavaScript libraries, and deceptive naming schemes that mix real brand elements with arbitrary terms, creating URLs that exploit consumer trust and urgency.
This large‑scale counterfeit retail domain campaign underscores the evolving ingenuity of online fraud operations, especially during peak shopping periods. The use of brand impersonation, automated deployment, and social media amplification significantly increases the risk of financial loss, credential theft, and exposure to malware for consumers. Monitoring and defensive controls including domain filtering, consumer awareness campaigns, and rapid takedown processes are critical to mitigating the impact of such threats as they continue to proliferate in the digital commerce ecosystem.
THREAT PROFILE:
| Tactic | Technique Id | Technique | Sub-technique |
| Resource Development | T1583.001 | Acquire Infrastructure | Domains |
| T1584.004 | Compromise Infrastructure | Server | |
| Initial Access | T1566.002 | Phishing | Spearphishing Link |
| T1189 | Drive‑by Compromise | — | |
| Credential Access | T1556.004 | Modify Authentication Process | Network Device Authentication |
| Collection | T1056.004 | Input Capture | Credential API Hooking |
| Command and Control | T1071.001 | Application Layer Protocol | Web Protocols |
| Impact | T1657 | Financial Theft | — |
REFERENCES:
The following reports contain further technical details: