Tech Teacher

Author/Source: Brian Krebs See the full link here

Takeaway

This article explains that many website addresses that are simply “parked” or not actively used are now being used by criminals to spread harmful software or trick people. It warns that accidentally visiting one of these parked sites could put your computer at risk.

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Technical Subject Understandability

Intermediate

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Analogy/Comparison

Imagine a street with many empty lots where nothing is built. This article says that many of those empty lots are now secretly set up with traps to harm anyone who accidentally walks onto them.

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Why It Matters

It’s important because simply typing a website address incorrectly could lead to your computer getting a virus or your information being stolen. For example, the article mentions that these malicious parked domains are a common way for bad software to be secretly downloaded onto computers without the user knowing.

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Related Terms

Parked domain, Domain Name System (DNS), Typosquatting, Malware, Drive-by downloads, Registrar. Jargon Conversion: A parked domain is a website address someone owns but isn’t using for an active website. The Domain Name System (DNS) is like the internet’s phone book that translates website names into computer addresses. Typosquatting is when someone registers a website address that looks very similar to a popular one, hoping you’ll type it by mistake. Malware is harmful software that can damage your computer or steal your information. Drive-by downloads are when harmful software is secretly downloaded to your computer just by visiting a website, without you clicking anything. A registrar is a company that manages the registration of website addresses for people and businesses.