The developer of the popular Windows app Notepad++ has warned users not to be fooled by a copycat site that is ranking highly on Google.
Notepad++ is a text and code editor that’s been available for more than 20 years. Its official website is found at notepad-plus-plus.org, but a copycat website registered at notepad.plus has climbed up the Google rankings.
At the time of writing, the copycat site was sitting fourth in the Google rankings, behind two official site listings and Notepad++’s Wikipedia page.
What’s The Copycat Site Doing?
Although the copycat site actually links back to the official site when you click to download the software, Notepad++’s developer warns that this is no innocent fan site.
“Some users have mistakenly believed that is the official Notepad++ website,” the developer, Don Ho, claims in a blog post on the Notepad++ website. “This confusion has led to frustration and potential security risks.”
“Despite declaring itself an ‘unofficial fan website created for general information/educational purposes only’, this site harbors a hidden agenda. It is riddled with malicious advertisements on every page. These advertisements aim to deceive unsuspecting Notepad++ users into clicking on them, generating profits for the site owners.”
When I visited the copycat site, I could find no evidence of misleading advertisements or attempts to deceive visitors. However, the fear with such sites is that they could “bait and switch”, swapping the official download links for links to malicious software that contains malware.
The copycat site’s ownership is hidden in Whois lookup results. All they reveal is that the domain was first registered in 2019 via the namecheap.com registrar.
A disclaimer posted at the bottom of the site states that: “Notepad++ is a trademark of Don HO. Notepad.plus is not affiliated, sponsored or endorsed by Don HO in any ways. This is an unofficial fan website created for general information/educational purpose only.”
The Notepad++ developer is asking users to help get the copycat site removed from search rankings by reporting it as “malicious software” using Google’s reporting tool. “By doing so, you contribute not only to the protection of the Notepad++ community but also to the preservation of a safe internet environment for all users,” the developer writes.
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