Typosquatting, threat intelligence feeds, and a single IP address at the center of it all — this is a deep dive into how one AWS-hosted endpoint turned into a magnet for suspicious domains and possible advanced threats.

This article was made by WebThreat.io, a proactive cybersecurity platform with AI-powered threat detection & real-time monitoring to safeguard businesses globally. Predict. Prevent. Protect.

1. Background: How It All Began

A few months ago, I was experimenting with DNSTwist — a handy tool that generates potential lookalike (or typosquatted) domains for any given website. The idea is to detect brand impersonation and malicious setups that phish unsuspecting users. Because malicious actors love big brands, I focused my efforts on the Top 100 most visited domains — search engines, social media, popular streaming sites, and so on.

The results were striking: one IP address kept popping up time and again, linked to dozens of suspicious domains. That IP was 13.248.169.48, an AWS-owned (AMAZON-02) address. My next step? Turning to VirusTotal to understand exactly why so many security vendors and community members had flagged it.

2. The Typosquatting Web

DNSTwist looks for domains that closely resemble well-known sites, employing:

• Homoglyphs (similar-looking characters, like “xn — ” punycode variants)
• Bitsquatting (flipped bits in ASCII characters, e.g., woogle.com for “google.com”)
• Character Replacements (e.g., fhatgpt.com instead of “chatgpt.com”)
• Additions / Omissions (e.g., bing0.com, bing1.com, or bing minus one letter)
• Subdomains (ch.atgpt.com, g.oogle.com, etc.)

Lo and behold, a significant number of these suspicious, brand-imitating domains pointed to 13.248.169.48. Many showed typical “parked domain” pages or “for sale” notices — normal enough, but also prime real estate for phishing once the criminals are ready to activate their trap.

3. VirusTotal Findings

When I plugged 13.248.169.48 into VirusTotal, I noticed:

1. Detection Ratio: Multiple security vendors (e.g., VIPRE, Sophos, MalwareURL) flagged the IP as malicious. Others labeled it “clean,” underscoring the dual nature of multi-tenant cloud environments.
2. Community Score: The IP held a pretty negative community reputation (around -60). Contributors had left comments or created graphs linking it to various suspicious files and domains.
3. Malware Mentions: Some references indicated possible PUPY RAT connections or cryptominer activity, and a recurring thread of “java.exe” malicious samples.

4. The APT29 Whispers

One especially interesting data point emerged from user-curated “graphs” in VirusTotal referencing APT29 — also known as Cozy Bear, a group many security researchers tie to Russian intelligence. They’re known for stealthy spear-phishing campaigns and infiltration of government or corporate networks.

• Why the Link? At least one or more VirusTotal community members added 13.248.169.48 to a graph that also included references to APT29 campaigns.
• Is It Definitive? Not necessarily. VirusTotal allows users to create custom threat maps, which can contain a mix of verified intel and speculations. It’s entirely possible that a domain associated with an APT29 incident briefly resolved here in the past. On the flip side, it might be an overreach by an overzealous researcher.

Regardless, once an IP is linked in a major threat group’s orbit — whether accurate or not — it’s enough to turn the heads of security pros.

5. Shared Hosting Doesn’t Mean Innocence

Why do countless suspicious domains funnel into one IP address like 13.248.169.48? Simple: Domain parking services frequently place thousands of idle or “for sale” domains onto a single AWS load balancer or EC2 instance. Some may be wholly benign, while others — like brand impersonations — have clear malicious potential.

The security risk is real:

• Phishing: By mimicking well-known brands, criminals can easily harvest credentials from users who don’t notice the extra letter or subtle character difference.
• Malware Delivery: Even if the site is “parked” today, it could become a dangerous exploit site tomorrow.
• Threat Intel Collisions: Once a malicious actor uses an IP (even briefly), threat feeds and security vendors will often keep flagging that address as suspect.

6. The Bigger Lesson

This single IP is a microcosm of a larger phenomenon in cybersecurity:

1. Cloud Providers Attract All Sorts: Bad actors enjoy the same convenient hosting that legitimate businesses do.
2. Typosquatting Is a Gateway: A domain that starts as a mild nuisance can flip into a serious phishing or malware site instantly.
3. Public Intel Tools Help: Services like VirusTotal, DNSTwist, and crowdsourced threat feeds empower defenders (and curious researchers) to spot red flags early.

Even if half the suspicious domains are never used in an actual attack, it only takes one or two to cause real harm. Plus, the repeated references to advanced threat actors — like a mention of APT29 — adds an extra layer of intrigue, reminding us sophisticated groups can and do leverage mundane cloud IPs.

7. Practical Recommendations

Proactive Brand Monitoring

• Keep tabs on new domain registrations that closely resemble your company or product name. Tools like DNSTwist or commercial brand-protection services can help.

Block Suspicious Domains

• Set your security solution (proxy, firewall, endpoint filters) to flag or block known impersonation domains, especially those with a malicious reputation.

Don’t Overlook “Clean” Parking

• Just because a domain is “parked” doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Attackers can pivot from a placeholder page to a phishing kit at any moment.

Validate Threat Group Links

• If you see references to a well-known APT in user-curated intel, dig further. Check if any authoritative security vendor or well-known research group confirmed the link. Speculation is easy; proof is harder.

8. Conclusion

13.248.169.48 is a reminder that a single AWS IP can serve as a repository for brand-impersonating domains, questionable files, and rumored threat actor ties. Is everything pointing there malicious? Definitely not. But the presence of many suspicious domains, the negative verdict from multiple antivirus vendors, and talk of RATs or APTs should give anyone pause.

At the very least, these findings show that domain squatters and possibly more serious adversaries take full advantage of mainstream cloud hosting for their infrastructure. We may never know the full scope behind each domain, but the evidence is enough to keep your guard up — and to keep an eye on the next IP that emerges from your DNSTwist results.

Author’s Note:
If you spot any new leads or have intel about other ephemeral malicious domains, feel free to comment or reach out. The cybersecurity community thrives when we share information and collaborate, especially around suspicious IPs and notorious brand lookalikes.

Disclaimer: This post is based on publicly available data from DNSTwist and VirusTotal. All references to potential threat actors (e.g., APT29) are strictly from user-curated graphs or partial intelligence. Always verify with reputable security researchers or official bulletins before drawing final conclusions.