Information Gathering - Web Edition Contents
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How Security Analysts Detect Suspicious Domain Activity¶
A security analyst may detect suspicious activity in the following circumstances:
Phishing Campaign¶
- Recent Registration Date: Indicating that it is a new domain, and may not be a legitimate service, however this is subject to a case-by-case basis as new businesses or individuals frequently register new domains.
- Privatised Registrant Information: Hiding information to engage in anonymity, while can be legitimate for small businesses who may not disclose the individual that manages the domain, a long-standing service, like a well-known bank may choose to disclose who to contact, however some reputable organisations still utilise privacy services for non-critical domains, though this is less common in customer-facing services.
- Name Servers: The Name Servers in effect maybe associated with known hosting providers (e.g. bulletproof hosting) utilised for malicious purposes, however this depends on their provider and the history that can be assessed regarding the name servers and their documented history.
A combination of these factors raise significant red flags for a phishing campaign to a security analyst.
Malware Analysis¶
- Registration: Registered to an individual utilising a free email service known for anonymity. (e.g. ProtonMail)
- Location: The Registrant's country of origin has a high prevalence in cybercrime.
- Registrar: The domain was registered with a history of lax abuse policies.
Threat Intelligence¶
- Registration Dates: In cases of multiple suspected domains suspicion is raised in the event of clusters of registration.
- Registrants: The registrants use various Aliases & Fake Identities.
- Name Servers: Domains often share the same Name Servers indicating a common infrastructure.
- Takedown History: Domains may have a history of being takedown after attacks, indicating previous law enforcement or security interventions.
Conclusion¶
These insights allow security analysts to create a detailed profile of the threat actor's techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
Using WHOIS¶
First ensure whois is installed.
Updating Linux and Installing WHOIS
Example of WHOIS Facebook¶
$ whois facebook.com
Domain Name: FACEBOOK.COM
Registry Domain ID: 2320948_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.registrarsafe.com
Registrar URL: http://www.registrarsafe.com
Updated Date: 2025-04-23T19:08:37Z
Creation Date: 1997-03-29T05:00:00Z
Registry Expiry Date: 2034-03-30T04:00:00Z
Registrar: RegistrarSafe, LLC
Registrar IANA ID: 3237
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abusecomplaints@registrarsafe.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1-650-308-7004
Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientTransferProhibited
Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientUpdateProhibited
Domain Status: serverDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverDeleteProhibited
Domain Status: serverTransferProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverTransferProhibited
Domain Status: serverUpdateProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverUpdateProhibited
Name Server: A.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
Name Server: B.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
Name Server: C.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
Name Server: D.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
DNSSEC: unsigned
URL of the ICANN Whois Inaccuracy Complaint Form: https://www.icann.org/wicf/
>>> Last update of whois database: 2025-06-15T18:42:14Z <<<
[SNIPPED]
Registrant Name: Domain Admin
Registrant Organization: Meta Platforms, Inc.
Registrant Street: 1601 Willow Rd
Registrant City: Menlo Park
Registrant State/Province: CA
Registrant Postal Code: 94025
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.6505434800
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: domain@fb.com
Facebook Information from WHOIS databases
Key Identified Information¶
| WhoIs Record Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Registrar: | RegistrarSafe, LLC |
| Creation Date: | 1997-03-29T05:00:00Z |
| Domain Expiration Date: | 2034-03-30T04:00:00Z |
1) Domain Registration¶
This Domain Registration information can conclude that the domain which is registered with Registrar LLC has been active for a significant period of time, suggesting its legitimate with an established online presence, and the distant expiration date further indicates its longevity.
2) Domain Owner¶
The Domain Owner which indicates ownership by Meta Platforms Inc as the organisation behind facebook.com and specifies a domain admin as the point of contact.
3) Domain Status¶
The Domain Status indicates the protections that the domain has against authorised changes, transfers, or deletions on both the client and server sides, which highlights a strong emphasis on security and control over the domain.
| Domain Protection | Description |
|---|---|
| Client-Level Protections: | These protections are set by the Registrar typically at the registrant's request to protect against unauthorised actions. |
| clientDeleteProhibited | Prevents the domain from being deleted by the registrant or registrar and ensures protection against unauthorised or accidental deletion without explicitly unlocking of the domain. |
| clientTransferProhibited | Prevents the domain from being transferred to another registrar which protects against unauthorised transfers, securing domain ownership, without explicitly unlocking the domain. |
| clientUpdateProhibited | Prevents changes to the domain's contact or nameserver information, which safeguards against unauthorised modifications to domain settings without explicitly unlocking the domain. |
| Server-Level Protections: | These protections are set by the Registry to protect Critical Domains. (e.g. .gov or .bank) |
| serverDeleteProhibited | Registry-level restriction preventing domain deletion, typically for legal, regulatory, or critical infrastructure reasons. This protection overrides client permissions requiring Registry Approval to unlock the domain. |
| serverTransferProhibited | Registry-level restriction blocking domain deletion to another registrar, often for compliance, disputes, or high-value domains. This protection overrides client permissions requiring Registry Approval to unlock the domain. |
| serverUpdateProhibited | Registry-level restriction on modifying domain details. (e.g. contacts, or nameservers) used for security, or legal reasons. This protection overrides client permissions and requires Registry Approval to unlock. |
4) Name Servers¶
The Name Servers are all within the facebook.com domain suggesting that the registrar organisation, Meta Platforms Inc manages its DNS Infrastructure, which is common practice for large organisations to maintain control and reliability over its DNS Resolution.
Facebook.com's Name Servers from the WHOIS are the following:
- A.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
- B.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
- C.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
- D.NS.FACEBOOK.COM
5) Conclusion from WHOIS details¶
It can be evaluated from all the information provided by the WHOIS Output for Facebook.com aligns with the expectations for a well-established domain owned by a large organisation like Meta Platforms Inc.
While WHOIS provides contact details for domain-related issues it may not be directly helpful in identifying specific individuals within the organisation, or potential vulnerabilities and as such it highlights the need to utilise a combination of reconnaissance techniques to understand the target's digital footprint comprehensively.
Exercises¶
Q: Perform a WHOIS lookup against the paypal.com domain. What is the registrar Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) ID number?
A: 292
Q: What is the admin email contact for the tesla.com domain (also in-scope for the Tesla bug bounty program)?
A: admin@dnstinations.com