VirginMedia joins the typosquatting game?

[Rob_F]

If you're a VirginMedia customer and you mistype a domain into your address bar that isn't registered, or type a domain that no longer resolves to a site you now automatically get redirected to Virgin Media's "AdvancedSearch", along with sponsored links (right at the top, as you'd expect). Before you would just be redirected to a blank "this page cannot be displayed" error page.

Click on the "What is this page?" link and you get the following explanation...

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Advanced Network Error Search

Our advanced network error search helps you find the website you’re looking for quickly.

We all make mistakes when we type in website addresses. Perhaps we miss a few letters, or the website doesn't exist any longer. If an address you enter doesn’t locate a site, this handy feature will convert the incorrect address into a web search, so instead of an error message you will get a list of our closest matches, plus some additional related links.

Want more info?

You can find out more and tell us what you think here.
Don’t want to use this service?

No problem – you can opt out here

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So, your average internet user reaches this page, what's he/she going to do? He/she is most likely to either 1. Click on the sponsored link to directline.com at the top, which will cost DL well in excess of a fiver or 2. Will click on a link to one of their competitors.

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Thoughts? Any other UK ISPs do this?

Sure sounds like typosquatting on a mass scale to me, without the reg/renewal fees.

 

[GreyWing]

Yep noticed it on mine the other day, wasn't overly mimpressed.

Suppose only thing to stop them is google or whoever their ads feeds supplier is.

But suppose if it was going to return an error page then no harm done to me as a visitor.

 

[JMOT]

Looks like the Barefruit DNS solution for ISP's.

 

[junkaccounts]

Its not Barefruit, it is Nominum

It says so on the page, Nominum, so it is not Barefruit.
If you lookup the IP, it confirm it.
This explains why the results are rubbish too.
:neutral:

 

[GreyWing]

Just found this link to stop it happeneing to Virgin ISP customers

https://my.virginmedia.com/advancederrorsearch/settings

That's apart from using opendns etc

 

[aZooZa]

Looks like the Barefruit DNS solution for ISP's.

That's exactly what it is. 404s are trapped at the ISP level. In this case, there's no need for a third party deal because Virgin are the ISP.

 

[rob]

I wonder if that means they wont persue any Virgin related domain registrations?