notepad-plus-plus.app is a phishing page that impersonates Notepad++, the popular free text and source code editor for Windows. It presented itself as "Notepad++ - Free Source Code and Text Editor for Windows" to catch developers and everyday users searching for a download. PhishDestroy first flagged it on 2026-09-19. The site has been offline since 2026-09-28 and was still unreachable on 2026-10-19.
How the scam works
Lookalike download sites for trusted free software copy the real project's branding and page title so visitors believe they have found the official source. The "download" is the payload. Schemes of this type typically hand out a tampered installer that can steal saved browser passwords, session cookies and locally stored crypto wallet data, or that sends visitors on to further phishing pages. The appearance of this domain on MetaMask and SEAL blocklists shows it was treated as a threat to crypto users as well as to general Windows users.
Evidence
Six of 91 VirusTotal engines flagged the domain as of 2026-09-27: alphaMountain.ai, CRDF, Forcepoint ThreatSeeker, Gridinsoft, SOCRadar and VIPRE. That is a low count, but it comes from several independent vendors, and it matches the domain's listing on the PhishDestroy, MetaMask and SEAL blocklists. Four AlienVault OTX pulses also reference the domain, so other researchers tracked it independently.
Infrastructure
The domain was registered through GNAME.COM PTE. LTD. on 2026-09-02, 17 days before PhishDestroy detected it. The site went dark about nine days after detection. That short lifespan is typical of throwaway impersonation domains. Traffic was served through Cloudflare, Inc. on an address geolocated to Canada, so the origin server behind the site was not directly exposed.
What to do
If you downloaded or ran an installer from this domain, disconnect that machine and run a full malware scan. Treat everything stored on it as exposed. From a separate, clean device, change your important passwords, starting with email and financial accounts, sign out of active sessions, and turn on app-based two-factor authentication. If that computer held crypto wallets or seed phrases, create a new wallet on a clean device and move your funds to it. Reinstall Notepad++ only from the project's official site. Defenders should block the domain and search proxy and endpoint logs for downloads from it.
등록 정보생성됨 2026년 9월 2일 (47d · New)—Expires 2027년 9월 2일
최초 이용 불가까지 걸린 시간9 days
집계 기준
처음 저장된 악용사례 신고부터 콘텐츠를 사용할 수 없다는 첫 번째 관찰까지의 경과 시간입니다. 이것은 원인을 확립하지 못합니다.
각 보고서에 포함된 내용
저장된 발신 보고서 기록은 공급업체 평가, 등록 데이터, 호스팅 세부 정보, 분류 또는 스크린샷과 같이 당시 사용 가능한 증거를 참조할 수 있습니다. 이 페이지는 전달된 정확한 페이로드, 수신, 확인 또는 수신자의 작업을 추론하지 않습니다.
기술 세부 정보Provenance & timestamps
최초 발견2026년 9월 19일
DOM Analysisanalyzed 2026년 9월 19일score 100/1001 brand signal
Submitted URLhttp://notepad-plus-plus.app/
Favicon Hash
사건 ID
ICANN OVERSIGHT
인증 및 RAA 상황
Registrar accreditation and DNS abuse obligations
For this gTLD, the registrar above operates under an ICANN accreditation agreement. The links below provide the official fee schedule and current DNS abuse compliance guidance.
Accreditation is a contract, not a safety certification.
RAA §3.18 establishes abuse-contact and handling requirements. This report can document stored outbound notices and later technical observations; it does not by itself establish receipt, investigation, remediation, or contractual non-compliance.
Saved certificate metadata. Certificate dates without a timezone are shown as stored. Transport encryption does not establish that the site is trustworthy.
Cloudflare is a web-infrastructure and website-security company, providing content-delivery-network services, DDoS mitigation, Internet security, and distributed domain-name-server services.
Template-based draft · optional AI wording assistance requires separate consent
AI 지원 초안 - 사고 세부정보는 AI 제공업체에서 처리됩니다. · 직접 검토하고 제출하세요.
After a phishing incident
피해자를 위한 권고 사항 및 조언
Choose the steps that match what you shared. Keep a copy of this report alongside your own records.
지금 당장 어떻게 해야 할까요?
긴급
Stop using the suspicious site. Open the real service through its official app or an address you already trust.
모든 비밀번호 변경 — 이메일, 익스체인지 계정 등, 동일한 비밀번호를 사용하는 모든 것
2단계 인증 활성화 인증 앱(SMS 제외)을 사용합니다. SMS 기반 복구 기능을 비활성화하세요.
카드 동결 피싱 사이트에 은행 계좌 정보를 입력한 경우
보고서를 작성하기 위해 어떤 정보를 수집해야 할까요?
FBI 지침
Keep original emails, receipts, messages and screenshots in a secure place. A factual timeline helps the receiving authority understand what happened. IC3 evidence guidance ↗
Payment records — if you paid, save the receipt, amount, date, payment provider and recipient details.
정확한 날짜 및 시간 — 각 거래 내역 및 사기범과의 첫 접촉 시점
스크린샷 — 사기 웹사이트, 채팅 메시지, 이메일, 지갑 거래, 소셜 미디어
모든 URL 및 도메인 사기꾼이 사용한 (다음과 같은 것들을 포함하여 notepad-plus-plus.app)
커뮤니케이션 — 사기꾼이 사용한 이메일, 문자, 전화번호, 사용자 이름
비록 모든 세부 사항을 알지 못하더라도 — 어쨌든 신고를 하세요. 부분적인 정보라도 수사에 도움이 됩니다.
Your bank or payment provider — contact its fraud team promptly through official contact details if money or card information was exposed.
지역 경찰 — 비록 당장 조치를 취할 수는 없더라도 공식 기록을 남깁니다
A report is not a guarantee of recovery or investigation, but prompt, accurate transaction data can help authorities and service providers trace the incident.
How do phishing scams typically work?
가짜 웹사이트 — 도메인을 약간만 변경한, 정식 사이트와 픽셀 단위로 완벽하게 일치하는 복제 사이트
pig butchering — Telegram·왓츠앱·데이트 앱을 통해 몇 주에 걸쳐 신뢰를 쌓은 뒤, 돈을 훔쳐갔다
회복 사기 — fraudsters pose as recovery agents and demand upfront fees. Never share a seed phrase or pay before independently verifying the provider
AI를 이용한 사기 — 딥페이크, 자동화된 피싱, AI로 생성된 사이트 등으로 인해 사기 행각을 적발하기가 더 어려워지고 있다
앞으로 어떻게 하면 스스로를 지킬 수 있을까요?
공식 사이트 즐겨찾기 추가 — 이메일, DM 또는 광고에 포함된 링크는 절대 클릭하지 마세요
도메인 확인 — 확인하기 PhishDestroy 상호작용을 시작하기 전에 HTTPS, 맞춤법, 도메인 등록 기간을 확인하세요.
About this reportSources, observation dates and corrections
This report combines saved page captures, registration and network records, scanner results and PhishDestroy reporting history. Each source keeps its own observation date. Open a source report to inspect the original result.
The AI-assisted analysis was written on . It describes the evidence available at that time; later source checks can change.
A capture documents what was shown. A scanner result records that provider’s assessment at the time of its check. Neither a valid certificate nor a zero-detection result is a guarantee of safety.
