Which term describes the act of acquiring misspelled domain names to capture users who mistype a URL?

• A. URL Hijacking
• B. Typosquatting
• C. Phishing
• D. Domain Squatting

Answer: (A)

Typosquatting is the act of acquiring misspelled domain names to capture users who mistype a URL. It relies on people typing a near-identical address and ending up on a domain controlled by someone else, who can then monetize or mislead. This term precisely describes registering common misspellings or keyboard errors of popular sites to intercept traffic.

URL hijacking is related but broader; it can involve taking over a domain or exploiting other mechanisms to control traffic, not exclusively about misspellings. Domain squatting refers to holding domain names for speculative resale and isn’t specific to intentionally grabbing mistyped variants. Phishing describes an attempt to steal information through deception, which can happen on typosquatted sites but doesn’t define the deliberate acquisition of misspelled domains.