The folks over at KnujOn have released a troubling report about the Directi Group, PrivacyProtect.org, and how rogue online pharmacies rely (unsurprisingly) on rogue domain name registrars (DNR). The report indicates that the Directi group controls 48 “phantom” DNRs that, in turn, are supporting rogue online pharmacy networks.

Last month, LegitScript and KnujOn reported on the role that DNRs play in supporting websites selling illicit steroids. This report is a natural follow-up to that, looking at the 48 phantom DNRs that, in fact, appear to be controlled by the Directi Group, which also appears to control PrivacyProtect.org, the service that enables website owners to hide their identity.

LegitScript will take a closer look at the report with an eye to an important follow-up question: which affiliate networks are these websites part of? And what’s the extent of the relationship between the rogue online pharmacies and the Directi Group?

Update: Directi disclaims all allegations in the knujon / hostexploit reports as baseless and factually incorrect. The full text of Directi’s press release is here.