web domains

Retailers aren’t the only ones to want to make the most of Black Friday, it’s a boom time for scammers too. New analysis by Check Point reveals that one in 11 newly registered Black Friday-themed domains is classified as harmful.

October saw 158 new Black Friday related domains, a 93 percent increase over the 2025 monthly average. Early November intensified that growth, with more than 330 new related domains appearing in only the first 10 days.

For the second consecutive quarter sales of .AI domain names have surged -- with a quarterly record of $4.5 million in volume in the last quarter (up from $3.48 million in the first quarter of this year) as demand for artificial intelligence-related branding accelerates.

The latest Domain Investment Index from online payments service Escrow.com reflects the embrace of AI. “Two huge tech trends are colliding here: the incredible uptake of AI in business and the realization that domains are the commercial real estate of the Internet,” says Escrow.com chief executive Matt Barrie.

According to a new report, 80 percent of registered web domains that resemble a Global 2000 brand do not actually belong to that brand.

The report from enterprise-class domain registrar CSC shows that of the homoglyph (look-alike fake) domains owned by third parties other than the Global 2000 brand owners, 42 percent have MX records (email exchange records) compared with 40 percent in 2023. These MX records can be used to send phishing emails or to intercept email.