What is gmsil.com and is it a legitimate domain or a spam trap?

Summary

The domain gmsil.com, hosted by AppRiver, is likely a typosquatting domain targeting Gmail users. It functions as a typo trap to collect mistyped email addresses for potential malicious activities such as spam, phishing, and malware distribution. These domains may not always act as aggressive spam traps, and suppressing them could have implications for deliverability and data quality. Address collection practices need to be rigorous, and businesses should consider registering common typos of their domains for brand protection. Typo domains highlight the importance of strong email list hygiene and sender authentication to prevent exploitation.

Key findings

  • Typosquatting Domain: gmsil.com is probably a typosquatting domain, related to 'gmail.com'.
  • Email Harvesting: It's used to harvest mistyped email addresses.
  • Potential Malicious Use: Collected emails can be used for spam, phishing, or malware.
  • Not Always Spam Trap: Domains like gmsil.com might not always be active spam traps.
  • Suppression Impact: Suppressing such domains might impact deliverability metrics and mask data collection deficiencies.
  • Hosted by AppRiver: The domain is hosted by AppRiver.
  • Syntax Exploitation: Even slight deviations in email address syntax can be exploited.
  • Phishing Attacks: Typosquatting is often used in phishing scams to impersonate legit organisations.
  • No Hard Bounces: Emails may not result in hard bounces, indicating data quality issues.

Key considerations

  • Rigor in Collection: Emphasize rigorous email collection and validation.
  • Domain Registration: Consider registering common typos of your domain.
  • Suppression Strategies: Carefully assess suppression strategies for typo domains.
  • Hygiene Importance: Good list hygiene helps minimize sending to such addresses.
  • User Awareness: Educate users about phishing and typo domain scams.
  • Balance Suppression: Balance suppression practices with the risk of hidden data issues
  • Monitor Deliverability: Monitor deliverability metrics when handling potential typo domains to spot impacts

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

The domain gmsil.com is likely a typosquatting domain, a common misspelling of gmail.com. It appears to be used to harvest email addresses from users who make typos when signing up for services. This allows malicious actors to collect data and potentially use it for spam, phishing, malware distribution, or other exploitative activities. While the domain itself might be legitimate, its purpose is questionable and poses several risks to users and brands alike.

Key opinions

  • Typosquatting: Gmsil.com is probably a typosquatting domain, closely resembling 'gmail.com'.
  • Data Harvesting: The domain is possibly used for harvesting mistyped email addresses.
  • Malicious Activities: Collected email addresses could be leveraged for spam, phishing, or malware distribution.
  • Legitimacy Questioned: Although the domain is registered, its purpose is suspect due to its resemblance to Gmail.
  • No Hard Bounces: Sending to this domain may not result in hard bounces, which can mask data quality issues.

Key considerations

  • Data Collection Rigor: Emphasize the need for stringent email address collection practices to minimize typos.
  • Brand Protection: Registering common typos of your domain name can safeguard against malicious use.
  • Suppression Policies: Consider implementing strategies to manage addresses that look like typos.
  • Security Risks: Be aware of the security risks posed by typosquatting, including malware and phishing.
  • Email attacks: Consider how to use this information to defend against email attacks.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares they've sent 10K emails to gmsil.com recently, likely typos, with no hard bounces, emphasizing the need for rigor in address collection and targeting.

June 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora mentions that, although gmsil.com is a registered domain, its purpose is questionable. It's likely used for malicious activities such as spamming or phishing, due to its similarity to Gmail.

May 2021 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from Web Hosting Company suggests that registering common typos of your domain name can protect your online presence and prevent malicious actors from using them for harm. It can also prevent email-based attacks.

May 2021 - Web Hosting Company
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange suggests that gmsil.com is used to collect email addresses from users who made a typo when signing up for services or newsletters. These addresses are then used to send spam or phishing emails.

November 2021 - StackExchange
Marketer view

Email marketer from Cyber Security Blog explains that typosquatting poses risks because it can be used to spread malware, conduct phishing attacks, or even tarnish the reputation of the brand being imitated. It can potentially compromise sensitive data.

December 2021 - Cyber Security Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from ICANN explains that typosquatting is when someone registers domain names with common misspellings of existing websites, and this is used to confuse users.

June 2023 - ICANN
Marketer view

Email marketer from Personal Security Blog explains that domains like gmsil.com can be part of a data harvesting operation, gathering mistyped email addresses for later exploitation.

April 2024 - Personal Security Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Namecheap Community Forums shares that gmsil.com could be a common typo for gmail.com, often used to harvest misspelled email addresses.

February 2022 - Namecheap Community Forums
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that domains like gmsil.com are likely typosquatting domains. It could be a source of spam and should be treated with caution.

December 2023 - Reddit

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

The domain gmsil.com, hosted by AppRiver, is likely a typosquatting domain related to gmail.com. Experts suggest it's a typo trap used to collect mistyped email addresses. While most mail to this domain may be discarded (/dev/null), and it's probably not a spam trap, it's still used as a spam tactic. Suppressing typo domains may have deliverability implications and hide poor data collection practices.

Key opinions

  • Hosting: gmsil.com is hosted by AppRiver.
  • Typo Trap: It's likely a typosquatting domain, specifically targeting Gmail typos.
  • /dev/null: Most email sent to gmsil.com is probably discarded.
  • Not a Spam Trap: It's probably not designed as an aggressive spam trap.
  • Spam Tactic: Typosquatting can be employed as a tactic to collect mistyped email addresses for malicious purposes.
  • Deliverability Implication: Suppressing such domains can affect deliverability metrics.

Key considerations

  • Data Quality: Be aware that suppression of typo domains may hide bad data collection practices.
  • List Hygiene: Implement good email list hygiene to avoid sending to typo domains.
  • Monitor Deliverability: Monitor deliverability metrics when handling potential typo domains.
  • Balance Suppression: Balance the benefits and drawbacks of suppressing typo domains.
  • Security: Recognise the potential security risk associated with email addresses that come from typo domains
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that typosquatting can be used as a spam tactic, where a domain name close to a well-known one (like gmail.com) is used to collect mistyped email addresses for malicious purposes.

March 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suspects that most of the mailstream to gmsil.com goes to /dev/null.

January 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that gmsil.com is likely a gmail typo trap.

May 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise answers questions about whether typo domains should be suppressed, explaining they may have implications on deliverability but are not necessarily spam traps and suppressing them may hide poor data collection practices.

June 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks states that he doubts gmsil.com is a spam trap.

January 2025 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that gmsil.com is hosted by appriver.

September 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Technical documentation suggests that gmsil.com, a domain similar to gmail.com, could function as a honeypot for mistyped email addresses or be involved in typosquatting. These domains are leveraged in phishing attacks or identify poor list hygiene from senders, ultimately aiding in spam detection. Even slight deviations in email syntax can lead to exploitation.

Key findings

  • Spam Traps: Typosquatting domains could function as spam traps.
  • Honeypot: Domains like gmsil.com can act as a honeypot for misspelled addresses.
  • Poor Hygiene: Invalid addresses are utilized to identify senders with poor list hygiene.
  • Syntax Matters: Deviations in email syntax can lead to deliverability issues or exploitation.
  • Phishing: Typo-squatted domains are often used in phishing attacks to trick users.

Key considerations

  • Address Verification: Robustly verify and correct email addresses to minimize typos.
  • List Management: Maintain excellent list hygiene to avoid sending to invalid or potentially harmful addresses.
  • Security Awareness: Educate users about the risks of phishing and typo-squatted domains.
  • Deliverability Monitoring: Monitor deliverability and sender reputation to detect and mitigate any negative impact from typo domains.
  • Spam Detection: Consider implementing measures to detect and block spam originating from or targeting typo domains.
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor explains that invalid email addresses (potentially captured through typosquatting) are often discarded or used to identify senders employing poor list hygiene practices. It can be used in the detection of spam.

March 2024 - RFC Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus shares information on the definition of spam traps and the different types, which could include typo domains.

January 2025 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from NIST indicates how typo-squatted domains are often used in phishing attacks where the user believes they're interacting with a legitimate organisation.

October 2024 - NIST
Technical article

Documentation from MxToolbox highlights that one of the potential uses for domains such as 'gmsil.com' is to act as a honeypot for misspelled addresses.

May 2022 - MxToolbox
Technical article

Documentation from IETF specifies email address syntax, noting that slight deviations (like 'gmsil' instead of 'gmail') can lead to undeliverable mail or exploitation by malicious actors. Addresses that follow valid syntax but contain errors can be used for spam.

June 2022 - IETF