WhoisXML API Blog

How IP Lookup Geolocation Can Improve App Development

App developers find it particularly challenging to make sense of user behavior. Often, users install apps out of curiosity and only use most of them once or twice before completely forgetting about them. Alternatively, they will uninstall these apps right after their curiosity is satisfied.

One way for app developers to increase user engagement and retention is by incorporating IP geolocation into their creations. By maximizing geolocation data, app developers can know their users better in a non-obtrusive manner as well as better figure out what stimulates retention.

DNS Records and Their History Matter: Beefing Up Your Cybersecurity Posture Using DNS Tools

The global cybersecurity landscape is becoming crowded both with threat actors and security solutions. When it comes to security threats specifically, attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated, and the amount of damage they cause is also increasing. In 2018, hackers stole almost half a billion personal records.

These security breaches were accomplished by using different tactics such as phishing, denial-of-service (DoS), and ransomware attacks, to name a few. And the threat actors successfully carried out these attacks, not because victims don’t use cybersecurity solutions, but because not all systems monitor every type of vulnerabilities — including the ones that have to do with DNS misconfigurations.

E-Commerce and Online Brands: How to Avoid and Tackle Trademark Infringement Issues with Brand Monitor

With all of the business growth opportunities that the Web provides for e-commerce sites and brands operating online in general, also come responsibilities and risks.

Customer privacy and data, for one thing, must be safeguarded against cyber attacks — notably phishing and spam campaigns that could lead to fraud and information and identity theft. Indeed, personally identifiable information (PII) such as Social Security and driver’s license numbers, health records, and payment card information, among others, are often stolen and sold in underground markets or used in attacks. A quick black market survey, for instance, revealed that health records and passport information are sold for as much as $1,000 per set in cybercriminal one-stop shops.

How to Fend Off DNS Attacks with DNS Reverse Lookup Tools

You might be aware of how much Domain Name System (DNS) attacks can cripple organizations and their online properties. The 2019 Global DNS Threat Report by IDC confirms this, stating that the average cost of a DNS attack has risen by 49% since last year to $1.27 million. Companies also reported that it takes their teams more than a day to fix breaches, thus drastically affecting operations and revenues.

Today, we’ll examine the worst DNS incidents to date and how a DNS reverse lookup tool like DNS Lookup API can help organizations build up domain intelligence against them.

From IANA to Using IP Netblocks WHOIS Database for IP Range Lookups

More and more professionals rely on IP intelligence sources such as IP Netblocks WHOIS Database to learn more about IP addresses and their ranges (consecutively numbered sets of IP addresses). Many, however, do not have a full understanding of how IP netblocks and addresses are broken down in the first place and why this information can be useful.

Essentially, IP addresses are numbers from 0 to 536,870,911. Their distribution amongst users is done by Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR). The idea is that the whole interval is split into parts assigned to different bodies responsible for them. These bodies will then split their IP address intervals into smaller ones and delegate their administration to other bodies or end-users. So finally the smallest intervals will have actual owners, or, vice versa, owners will have one or more intervals.

Yahoo! Data Breach Settlement: A Deep Dive into Fake Websites through Domain Name Monitoring

The massive Yahoo! data breach that lasted from 2012 to 2016 is one of the most notable data breaches to date, with 3 billion accounts compromised. Users’ names, birthdays, email addresses, phone numbers, and even encrypted and unencrypted security questions and answers were just some of the information stolen and potentially peddled in underground markets.

The good news is that those who have been affected can now claim benefits for the damages and losses they incurred. They can get two years of free credit monitoring or US$100–25,000 in cash as settlement for theft and potential fraud. Those interested can check if they are eligible for settlement payment by contacting the administrator of the official data breach settlement site, yahoodatabreachsettlement.com.

Doing a Regular MX Record Check Can Help Thwart Phishing Attacks

These days, sophistication seems to be the secret behind the most effective cybercriminal schemes. And those behind business email compromise (BEC) scams are just some of the perpetrators raking in millions of cash. Targeting email users remains an effective way for cybercriminals to cripple organizations and lighten their coffers with very clever ruses. In 2018, BEC scammers amassed US $1.3 billion from their victims, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

BEC attacks involve mimicking the victims’ executives or higher-ranking officials and trusted contacts from partner organizations and suppliers in emails to get them to part with corporate funds. In essence, the cybercriminals use effective social engineering tactics and each time make sure that:

How Using WHOIS-Powered Tools Can Get You Ahead of E-Commerce Fraud

This coming holiday season, online retailers must remain vigilant as e-commerce fraudsters are certainly going to work harder than ever to take advantage of the throngs of shoppers sure to flock online.

The steady rise in e-commerce sales through the years makes online retailers lucrative targets for fraud. Last year’s Black Friday sales total reached $6.2 billion, while the Thanksgiving online revenue reached $3.7 billion. Even Alibaba’s recent Singles Day sales total reached $31 billion. 

Predictions also state that the worldwide e-commerce sales revenue is poised to reach $4.9 trillion by 2021. While these figures are great for retailers, they also tell cybercriminals they have a lot to gain from preying on e-commerce sites.