WhoisXML API Blog

IP and WHOIS Database: How to Find APNIC Block Owners

In the 1980s, detectives, investigators, and regular people who wanted to solve a mystery would need to sit in a car for hours, wear a disguise, and follow their subjects everywhere, be it on foot or by car.

The nature of crimes, however, has changed today. Most of them no longer happen physically; they’re committed in the virtual realm. And so, they call for new methods of investigation where legwork (in the physical sense, that is) is no longer required. Tracing the identity of a cybercriminal, for instance, now requires the right information and sources like an IP WHOIS database.

IP Geolocation API: Increasing Mobile App Engagement Using Location Intelligence

Mobile app development is on the rise, and there is no stopping it, perhaps, as a result of an increase in the number of device users, which has now reached 3.7 billion. To date, around 5 million mobile apps are available, with tons more in the works.

Even so, engagement seems elusive, as only 32% of users use an app more than 10 times before losing interest. How then can app developers compete for users’ attention and increase engagement?

Location intelligence may be the answer. And in this post, we’ll touch briefly on what the said intelligence is and how it can increase mobile app engagement through push notifications.

Marketing and Web Analytics Benefits of Checking Reverse DNS MX Records

As email delivery is critical to most organizations that do business online, ensuring the integrity and reliability of their mail exchanger (MX) servers and their corresponding records is of utmost importance. But why is that so?

Well, MX records identify the mail servers responsible for receiving incoming emails and determining the recipients of outgoing ones. An incorrectly routed MX record, therefore, can cause problems with email delivery because of a mismatch in the sender’s details, which could lead the email to be marked as spam or blocked. This can definitely affect a company’s internal and external communications, particularly its marketing efforts.

How to Check If an Email Address Exists Using DNS MX Records, SMTP Connections, and Email-Sending Emulation

Nonexistent email addresses, which aren’t connected to any existing branded domain name, can spell trouble for organizations when used as part of a site’s registration process or in an online contact form.

Such addresses can be the product of human error. For example, a user may inadvertently mistype his or her email by omitting, adding, or switching one or more characters or words in it. However, using nonexistent email addresses can also be deliberate for different reasons that include:

• Abusing freemium services or features offered by a website by creating several fake accounts

TCPA settlements in the crosshairs of typosquatters

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), Public Law 102-243., as also explained on its Wikipedia page, "restricts telephone solicitations (i.e., telemarketing & BPO) and the use of automated telephone equipment. The TCPA limits the use of automatic dialing systems, artificial or pre-recorded voice messages, SMS text messages, and fax machines."

Naturally, it has generated a number of court cases, which frequently result in calls for settlement claims. Victims can submit their claim online, either directly, or with the help of a number of lawyers and their companies specializing in helping with such cases. The related web pages attract a lot of visitors, and many of them type in the URL of the case manually - a very attractive situation to do some typosquatting… leaving a footprint of TCPA settlements in the records of WhoisXML API's Typosquatting Data Feed.

The Treepex Case: Learning More About Fake News Proliferators By Using Domain Search Lookups

Back in 2017, a startup presented a revolutionary product to the world, one that would allegedly change the way people breathe. Treepex, a portable device that cleans the air as you breathe sparked many conversations, causing it to become viral. Thousands of people viewed the product video. And the startup founders, Bacho Khachidze and Lasha Kvantaliani, even appeared in interviews from big news sites, including the Associated Press (AP) and The Huffington Post.

Why DNS Attacks Prevail and How to Mitigate Them with a DNS Lookup API

Over the past five years, cyber attackers have been ramping up campaigns targeting the Domain Name System (DNS) as a primary attack vector. The reason? The DNS is a critical part of any organization’s operations because it is responsible for properly resolving domain names to IP addresses. In a nutshell, it directs visitors or even potential customers to the right websites.

However, despite the crucial role that DNS servers play, businesses have yet to recognize the need to secure them. Why is that? Let’s take a closer look to answer this question, starting with why DNS attacks are typically successful.

Google and Facebook Scams: Preventing Employees from Falling for Invoice Fraud with Domain Intelligence Tools

Business email compromise (BEC), also known as CEO fraud, whaling, email account compromise (EAC), or invoice fraud, is a tried-and-tested attack method. Since 2013, BEC scams have been responsible for close to $12 billion in company losses. And this figure continues to rise, as, in 2018 alone, the said scams cost victims $1.3 billion.

In this post, we will look more closely at two cases of invoice fraud that caused Facebook and Google to almost lose a total of $123 million just this year. We will also demonstrate how our Domain Research Suite (DRS) can help companies prevent their employees from falling for such attacks.