BleepingComputer has found a content material farm working some 60+ domains named after well-liked media retailers, together with the BBC, CNBC, CNN, Forbes, Huffington Submit, Reuters, The Guardian, and Washington Submit, amongst others.
These “information” web sites, which we have been in a position to hint to their proprietor in India, repost articles from credible media and analysis organizations with out attribution.
Past that although, their intentions appear multifaceted—from constructing web optimization for his or her on-line playing ventures to deceptively promoting “press launch” and “product overview” ad slots at hefty costs to unsuspecting customers seeking to market their merchandise on-line.
Content material farm operates 60+ ‘information’ web sites
BleepingComputer has recognized a community of greater than 5 dozen “information” web sites that impersonate main media retailers just like the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, Crunchbase, Forbes, Huffington Submit, The Guardian, The Metro (UK), The Mirror, The Telegraph, Reuters, Washington Occasions, and Washington Submit.
We have now launched the full record of those domains on this article beneath.
(BleepingComputer)
These web sites repost present information articles taken from different sources verbatim beneath an “admin” creator account with out correct attribution, successfully plagiarising them from credible media retailers and analysis organizations.
For instance, discover the next article revealed on www.guardiannewstoday.com, which isn’t related to the extensively circulated newspaper, The Guardian.
BleepingComputer recognized that the article, together with its headline and physique, was copied word-to-word from a reliable supply, jurist.org, which is a authorized information and commentary web site.
(BleepingComputer)
Spams boards for web optimization and to promote press releases for $1000
The get together behind this operation regularly spams boards and remark sections of varied sorts of web sites with backlinks to these domains, in an try to spice up web optimization for these on-line properties and in flip lend credibility to them.
Of the a number of examples we discovered, beneath are posts made on a gaming discussion board, and the well-liked Immigration Boards discussion board, the place neighborhood members share experiences about their UK immigration journey.
(BleepingComputer)
BleepingComputer additionally noticed that in a few of these feedback, the operator of this community appeared to be promoting advertorial slots for press releases and product opinions, beginning at $50 per put up or a “bulk deal” priced at $1000.
(BleepingComputer)
The lure may very well be tempting to unsuspecting readers involved in selling their merchandise, who may be complicated these lookalike web sites with reliable media retailers that they mimic.
Maintains Google Information and social media presence
We have been additional shocked to study that along with working over 5 dozen on-line properties, the operator maintains Fb pages for a few of these and may have moreover enrolled them as a Google Information writer, very like actual media organizations do.
Beneath is a search outcome for a Sky Sports activities (UK) article, a replica of which additionally seems on CanadianNewsToday.com, part of this area syndicate and visual on Google Information.
(BleepingComputer)
The whole record revealed
Beneath is an inventory of the 60+ dwell domains presently related to this community. BleepingComputer will proceed to observe this marketing campaign and replace the record as extra domains are found.
Any content material or ‘information’ revealed on these web sites shouldn’t be trusted to be coming from authoritative information sources and needs to be independently fact-checked.
Furthermore, there isn’t any assure that any services or products being marketed through promotional advertorials on these web sites are reliable, and may very well be a part of a rip-off.
www.australiannewstoday.com
www.bbcnewstoday.com
www.bloombergnewstoday.com
www.bostonnewstoday.com
www.britishnewstoday.com
www.canadiannewstoday.com
www.chinaworldnewstoday.com
www.chroniclenewstoday.com
www.cnbcnewstoday.com
www.cnnworldtoday.com
www.crunchbasenewstoday.com
www.dailyexpressnewstoday.com
www.dailyheraldnewstoday.com
www.dailymirrornewstoday.com
www.dailystarnewstoday.com
www.dailytelegraphnewstoday.com
www.dutchnewstoday.com
www.dwnewstoday.com
www.europeannewstoday.com
www.forbesnewstoday.com
www.frenchnewstoday.com
www.germaynewstoday.com
www.guardiannewstoday.com
www.headlinesworldnews.com
www.huffingtonposttoday.com
www.irishnewstoday.com
www.italiannewstoday.com
www.livemintnewstoday.com
www.maltanewstime.com
www.mirrornewstoday.com
www.nationalposttoday.com
www.neatherlandnewstoday.com
www.neweuropetoday.com
www.norwaynewstoday.com
www.oxfordnewstoday.com
www.portugalnewstoday.com
www.postgazettenewstoday.com
www.republicofchinatoday.com
www.reuterstoday.com
www.russiannewstoday.com
www.scotlandnewstoday.com
www.spanenewstoday.com
www.switzerlandnewstoday.com
www.thedailymailnewstoday.com
www.thedailytelegraphnewstoday.com
www.theexpressnewstoday.com
www.theheraldnewstoday.com
www.theindependentnewstoday.com
www.theirishtimesnewstoday.com
www.theirishtimestoday.com
www.themetronewstoday.com
www.themirrornewstoday.com
www.thequintnewstoday.com
www.thestarnewstoday.com
www.thesunnewstoday.com
www.thetelegraphnewstoday.com
www.timesofnetherland.com
www.timesofspanish.com
www.topeuropenews.com
www.topworldnewstoday.com
www.turkeynewstoday.com
www.walesnewstoday.com
www.washingtonposttoday.com
www.washingtontimesnewstoday.com
Operation traced to India
Many of those domains, in line with public WHOIS data, have been operational since not less than 2022, with new ones steadily added over time, nicely into 2024.
BleepingComputer noticed that the majority of these web sites use WordPress as their selection of CMS, and share a standard registrar and host, One.com.
Primarily based on the contact data listed on a few of these web sites, we have been in a position to hint them to their operator. Our preliminary evaluation means that the operation relies in and working out of India.
Along with abusing well-known media emblems for web optimization advertising, the final word purpose of those on-line ventures is outwardly to advertise on-line playing, sports activities betting, on line casino video games, and crypto enterprises—that are among the many key focus areas of the entity behind this operation.
The operators of this syndicate could also be related to jackpotbetonline.com, a sports activities betting and playing firm that, in line with its LinkedIn page is based mostly in Gurugram, India, and has been lively since not less than 2014. The corporate’s social media account on X (previously Twitter) was suspended.
Given the multifaceted use circumstances of such a large-scale area community, it’s difficult to determine if its actions have remained and can stay restricted to web optimization constructing and deceptively promoting advertorial areas, or may this community evolve sooner or later to disseminate faux information and disinformation, which it could possibly very nicely do.
This discovery is harking back to a 2023 NewsGuard report that unveiled an unrelated community of domains pushing AI-generated articles that have been additionally attributed to an “admin” account.
Even when the proprietors of this enterprise can get away with trademark violations by claiming that the names of their web sites are sufficiently completely different from established Western media retailers and that they function in a completely different geographical location, the content material that these web sites are blatantly reposting continues to be copyrighted, and topic to authorized disputes.
