Beware of domain spoofing with cyrillic characters: Stay vigilant online

Cybercriminals are using a sneaky trick called homograph attacks, where they register domains using Cyrillic characters that look identical to Latin ones.


This allows them to create fake websites that appear legitimate - at least to the naked eye.

Example: The domain аррle.com (with Cyrillic “а” and “р”) looks just like apple.com, but it’s a trap. These characters are visually identical in many fonts, making it easy to fool even cautious users.

How to Protect Yourself:

Cybersecurity starts with vigilance. Share this to help others stay safe from deceptive domains.

  1. Hover before you click: Always preview links before clicking - especially in emails or messages.
  2. Use a modern browser: Most up-to-date browsers warn users about suspicious domains.
  3. Enable punycode display: This shows the actual encoded domain (e.g., xn-pple-43d.com) instead of the spoofed version.
  4. Bookmark trusted sites: Navigate directly instead of clicking links.
  5. Educate your team: Awareness is your first line of defence.

Book a free IT health check today

If you are unsure of what IT requirements you have, or how to upgrade your existing system, book in for a free IT health check. We will assess all of your systems and plans and come up with a solution for your individual IT needs.