What External Reporters Should I Subscribe to for My Abuse Desk?
When managing network abuse, one of the most crucial tools you need is a reliable external report system. External reports help identify and mitigate online threats early, ensuring your network stays secure. In this post, we’ll explore the essential external reports that abuse desk operators and postmasters should consider subscribing to in order to protect their networks and maintain compliance.
What You Receive Today
Today, you will get OSINT abuse reports sent to abuse@ and postmaster@ addresses. These reports could include phishing, copyright violations, malware alerts, and other abuses. Act quickly when you receive these reports, as failure to do so can challenge your safe harbor status. Always pay attention to these reports and respond promptly to avoid potential repercussions.
Free Subscription Reports You Need
To regain control of your network and mail server from malicious actors, you should subscribe to several free, essential external report subscription services. These reports are crucial for proactive threat mitigation.
Public Network, Abuse Desks
If you’re running an abuse desk for a public network, these free reports should be added to your list. Subscribe to these services to get timely data on network abuses:
- Google Safe Browsing reports for ASNs
- Shadowserver
- Spamcop
- Spamhaus PBL
Mailbox Provider, Postmasters
If you’re an ISP, hosting provider, or stand-alone mail service, these reports will help you stay informed about abuses affecting your mail platform. Some of these reports may not appear in your abuse mailbox automatically, so you will need to request them:
- Microsoft JMRP
- Spamcop
- Spamhaus PBL
- Yahoo! (MTAs only; requires DomainKeys or DKIM)
Extract the Metadata in the New Reports You Receive
To better understand network abuse, it’s essential to configure your systems to extract metadata from the new reports you receive. Doing so will help you take action more efficiently and ensure you’re addressing the right issues immediately.
Tag Each Incident by Threat Type
By tagging each incident according to threat type, you’ll be able to identify recurring issues within your network. This trend analysis allows you to address issues early, before they escalate.
See also: The Importance of Correctly Interpreting Network Abuse Reports
Identifying Subscribers with Vulnerabilities
Once you’ve tagged incidents, the next step is identifying the subscribers causing the abuse. Commonly, subscribers with vulnerabilities or those involved in illegal activities, like sharing copyrighted files, can become repeat offenders. Understanding these trends is key to reducing abuse in the long run.
Use Playbooks to Act on the Problem Being Reported
It’s important to educate subscribers on why their actions have consequences, such as affecting other users on the mail platform. For spam issues, explain how their actions can lead to the entire mail service being blocklisted. For copyright violations, educate them about the risks of file-sharing and malware. Helping them understand these risks will foster better long-term outcomes.
Now, Add More Subscription Reporters
Once you’ve subscribed to the necessary services, it’s time to broaden your reach. Add more subscription reporters to further protect your network and ensure you’re not missing any threats.
For Both Abuse Desk Operators and Postmasters
To better understand abuse in your network or mail platform, subscribe to these additional services:
The Project Honeypot Feedback Loop
Project Honeypot is a unique service that operates traps to catch spam. Unlike traditional services, it provides different insights and can help you identify compromised users or malicious actors on your network.
Netcraft
If you’re a network provider offering mailbox services, Netcraft offers real-time phishing feeds. This service can help you stay ahead of potential phishing attacks and provide valuable information for securing your infrastructure.
“This is Spam” Complaint Feedback Loops
The Validity Universal Feedback Loop is invaluable for mailbox providers looking to track potential spammers. By subscribing to this service, you can identify spammers using your mail platform and take action to block them before they cause further issues.
Other similar services include United Online and Zoho.
ISPs and hosting providers should also provide WHOIS RDNS, DKIM, and DomainKeys for their shared email services, ensuring proper registration of all hosted email and web services like WordPress platforms.
Also, Consider an Abusix Threat Intelligence Upgrade
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by managing all these reports, Abusix’s Threat Intelligence upgrade can streamline the process. By processing billions of messages, we provide real-time honeypot reports and spamvertised feeds, allowing you to monitor network abuse proactively and prevent blocklisting.
Take Action
Having an efficient process in place to manage abuse reports and mitigate security threats is key. With Abusix products like AbuseHQ, you can easily manage your network’s vulnerabilities, track incidents, and stay up-to-date on security trends.
