WhoisXML API Blog

A toolkit for testing domains and their webpages

In the present blog, we demonstrate how to perform a variety of technical and security tests against a domain by using WhoisXML API's Domain Reputation API. It is a RESTFul API that can be used in a broad range of popular programming environments, including e.g., BASH shell scripts, Windows PowerShell, Python, Java, C++, to name a few. It can be seen as a toolkit performing many tests ranging from DNS checks through revealing e-mail and web server configuration shortcomings to safe web browsing issues such as SSL problems or the presence of the domain in blacklists. The API has recently been updated to provide numeric codes for various tests and warnings; let us see what they can be good for.

HOW Does IPv6 Compare with IPv4 Geolocation?

IP geolocation databases can provide the physical location of a computer or device connected to the Internet. This data is useful for targeted advertising and implementing location-specific features or obtaining usage statistics. Despite becoming the Internet Standard in July 2017, IPv6 remains less commonly used and documented than IPv4 worldwide. Therefore, the available IP geolocation lookup data tend to be more accurate for IPv4 than for IPv6.

Geo Targeting: How Is It Helping Businesses Improve The Bottom Line?

Maximizing the profit is the ultimate goal of every business—and there are several ways to achieve that. For instance, you can reduce your expenses and product costs or increase your product or service prices. But generally, these strategies should be accompanied by techniques that seek to increase sales and find new customers too.

There are existing technologies in the digital world that can help you meet your business goals, and IP geolocation is one of them. In a nutshell, geolocation is the process of identifying the physical location of online users.

Whether intentional or not, businesses with an online presence—that is to say, almost all businesses have become global. Right now, people from any part of the world could be browsing your website! You can confirm that by looking at your traffic analytics.

The question is, how can you convert this traffic into sales to improve your bottom line? Geo targeting or geotargeting (regardless how you spell it) might be the key to that.

IP Geolocation analysis in Python made simple

WhoisXML API's IP geolocation services are powerful, reliable, and competitively priced sources of IP geolocation data. In particular, the IP geolocation API has a strong Python support: the simple-geoip package relies on this API, and it provides maybe the easiest way to get IP geolocation information in Python. 

Powering Asset Discovery with Domain and Subdomain Intelligence Sources

Everyone leaves digital footprints behind while using Internet-based technologies. Besides, in the process of improving digital services, acquiring new companies, and doing business in general, organizations inadvertently create digital trails. When threat actors pick up the scent, the result could be devastating and costly.

Asset discovery can help organizations keep track of their technological assets, so they can apply the necessary protection and keep their overall infrastructure safe from malicious actors. How so? Let’s take a closer look.

Cybersecurity Forensics Analysis Using Domain Intelligence Sources

Forensic science has crossed over to the digital world in what is now called “digital or cybersecurity forensics.” And just like their physical crime scene counterparts, cybersecurity forensics experts need to hold on to whatever evidence they have and use it to get one step closer to catching the perpetrator.

Evidence comes in many different forms, but cybercriminals often use domain names and Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure since those assets are practically what makes the Internet work.

When creating botnets for a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, for example, threat actors need to infect hundreds or thousands of devices. Each of these devices has an IP address, and the requests they send to the target’s server may sometimes contain the command-and-control (C&C) server domain. Even with their most effective entry point - phishing emails - the bad guys need to use domain names and subdomains.

How to Contact the Owner of a Domain with WHOIS and Website Contacts Products

The Internet is one giant marketplace. If you are looking for a software-as-a-service (SaaS) option that you can use for your department, a simple Google search will give you dozens of them. Meanwhile, if you need someone to promote your business, the Internet can suggest several influencers depending on your niche. Once you find a company or person that matches your requirements, all of you have to do next is to contact the domain owner or website representative(s).

Contacting them may be easy since chatbots or contact forms are always available. But how can you connect with the owners of hundreds or thousands of domains without going through a chatbot or waiting for someone to answer the customer service line in each and every case? To help you, we explored four different ways to contact the owner of a domain.

Strengthening Email Security Solutions & Validation Programs with a Disposable Emails Database

Email validation has become a necessity for organizations that aim to protect themselves against cybersecurity threats. The process becomes all the more relevant as 65% of attackers use phishing as a primary infection vector. That’s not a surprise, since attackers have long been weaponizing emails to serve as entry points for cyberattacks.

The ease with which threat actors can create disposable email addresses also contributes to the threat. In less than a minute, they can create a temporary email address with tons of providers, which they then use to send malware-laden and phishing messages to target victims. For this reason, a disposable email domain database can make email security vendors and email validation programs in general more robust and comprehensive. Let us elaborate on that.