xa90b-cointelegraph[.]com

The domain xa90b-cointelegraph.com was registered through NiceNIC International Group Co., Limited and first observed on 21 February 2026. DNS resolution points to 188.114.97.3, an address owned by Cloudflare, Inc. (AS13335) located in the United States. The authoritative nameservers are mallory.ns.cloudflare.com and rohin.ns.cloudflare.com, indicating that the operator relies on Cloudflare’s DNS and CDN services. An SSL certificate issued by Google Trust Services (WE1) is presented, and the site returns HTTP 200, confirming that a web server is actively delivering content.

Static analysis of the page reveals the title “XA90B: Redefining the Future of AI‑Blockchain Cryptocurrencies – Cointelegraph: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News,” and the site advertises a brand‑impersonation campaign targeting Ethereum, classified as a crypto‑scam. Backend technology fingerprints include WordPress, MySQL, PHP, Node.js, Vue.js, Nuxt.js, as well as third‑party scripts from Twitter Ads and Microsoft Clarity, suggesting a fairly complex stack designed to mimic legitimate news outlets. Reputation services assign a Gridinsoft trust score of 0 / 100, and the domain is listed on one security blocklist. PhishDestroy has already blocked the domain, and two of ninety‑three VirusTotal scanners flagged it as malicious.

The overall risk rating is high and the operational status remains active. Defenders should add xa90b-cointelegraph.com to URL filtering and sink‑hole rules, monitor outbound DNS queries for the associated Cloudflare IPs, and enforce TLS inspection to validate the Google Trust Services certificate chain. Because the site hosts WordPress and PHP components, patching known vulnerabilities in those platforms is advisable for any internal assets that might inadvertently contact the malicious host.