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

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

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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
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TCPA settlements in the crosshairs of typosquatters

TCPA settlements in the crosshairs of typosquatters

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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How to Conduct a RIPE NCC IP Lookup with an IP Netblocks WHOIS Database

How to Conduct a RIPE NCC IP Lookup with an IP Netblocks WHOIS Database

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Both the burgeoning use of the Internet and the growing incidence of cybercrime call for insightful information on IP addresses that may be involved in malicious activities. As part of its mandate to maintain Web integrity, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) coordinates the global assignment of IP addresses and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs).

IANA specifically works with the regional Internet registry (RIR) Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) to maintain a database of IP addresses for Europe, West Asia, and the former Soviet Union. And so, anyone who wishes to find more information about an IP address from this region must do a RIPE NCC IP lookup.

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IP Geolocation API: Intensifying 4 Location-Based Marketing Tactics

IP Geolocation API: Intensifying 4 Location-Based Marketing Tactics

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At a time when the world has become a vast global village thanks to technology, marketers are going in a different direction – local instead of global as they found location-based marketing effective in generating more business and converting buyer impulses into sales. A study revealed that 84% of organizations saw an increase in their location data-based marketing campaigns’ effectiveness.

The key to achieving the benefits of location-based marketing is accurate, high-quality location data, which IP Geolocation API can provide. The location data that the API returns include a particular IP address’s country code, region, city, postal code, latitude and longitude, Internet service provider (ISP), Autonomous System Number (ASN) type, time zone, and other associated domain names if any.

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4 Disadvantages of Bad Publicity (and How to Deal with Them)

4 Disadvantages of Bad Publicity (and How to Deal with Them)

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“There is no such thing as bad publicity.” We’ve all heard this common PR adage. While bad publicity may work wonders for pop stars, for business owners it is a serious liability. The disadvantages of bad publicity are numerous and include plummets in sales, decreased customer retention, difficulties in talent acquisition, as well as a bad brand image.

Thanks to the rise of social media, bad publicity is much easier to produce and make go viral. It no longer comes only from mass media – any bad review of your product or service could be considered bad publicity. Here’s how unchecked bad buzz can harm your business and a few tips on how to deal with it.

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