We have answered the most commonly asked questions below. If you have any questions that aren’t below, please feel free to contact us
There are a number of different types of Phishing. We are able to take down all of the following types of Phishing:
Deceptive Phishing – Deceptive phishing is a standalone page or site that is being used to steal information from visitors to the site. Deceptive phishing is generally a page that has been setup to look like a legitimate website, that requests private or personal information from individuals visiting the site.
Rock-phishing –. Rock phishing allows a hacker to set up a large number of phishing pages in one location. This is done using a zip or phishing kit that unpacks the phishing content onto a hacked server or phishing domain. Rock phishing was first created by the rock-phish group, hence the name and the URL once contained the word ‘rock’; however this has now been removed as most antiviruses software and anti-phishing software are aware of this variable.
Spear phishing – Spear phishing is a targeted message that is customised to the individual receiving the message. Spear phishing is hard to setup and it requires more information on the receiver then a standard phishing attack. However because the messages and content for spear phishing has been tailored to the user, there is a better chance that the receiver will be fooled by the message and fall victim to the attack.
Whaling – Whaling is very similar to spear phishing, however whaling attacks are targeted at C-level directors and senior managers in the hope of finding sensitive information about the business. Common attacks for whaling targets are fraudulent subpoena or government document, which say a program needs to be installed before the document can be viewed. The file they install, will generally be a malware or virus that steals important information from the user’s machine.
The most common type of brand abuse is impersonation. This means that a site or page is setup to resemble a legitimate business, and it is then used to misrepresent the targeted brand. These sites/pages can be used for a number of different reasons, from spreading false information to directing/stealing traffic from the legitimate site.
In some instances brand abuse can occur simply by using a logo on a site to represent or imply that they have an association with that brand or business.
In these instance, Site Takedown will review the abuse to assess whether it falls under brand abuse and that your business has the legal right to have the content removed. If there are legal groundings, we will be able to have that content removed on your behalf and will act as a representative to your business; to have that content removed.
Unlike our other services, brand abuse can sometimes be a tricky matter. As brand abuse falls under trademark and copyright law, there will be times when your brand can be used. Some types of brand abuse will fall under free speech or fair use policies. In these instances, we will provide you with information so that you can make an informed decision about your available options.
There are a number of different types of abuse that can occur with Fake Mobile Applications. In the most basic sense a fake mobile application is an application that passes itself off as a legitimate mobile application for a business, and then infects or detracts users from the legitimate application. If a mobile application has been uploaded to a store without your permission and it directly copies your businesses mobile application then we will have grounds to have the application removed.
Under fake mobile applications there are a number of different types of abuse. Ranging from clones of legitimate applications which are then hosted on other application stores, to malware, adware and malicious mobile applications that may be copies of the legitimate application or created solely to infect the user’s phone.
Before we can begin with a takedown we will need a link to the legitimate mobile applications for your business.
A service level agreement is our promise to you that we will have the content removed by the agreed time frame. Should it take longer than the agreed time, then the take down credit will be refunded and we will continue on with our takedown process free of charge.
Note: The Service Level Agreement (SLA) only applies to Phishing takedowns.
Occasionally the malicious content that we had previously taken down may resurface at the same location. Should this occur, the incident will be reopened and we will continue on with our takedown procedure. If the attack returns but is different (has a different IP, Host or content) then it will need to be entered as a new incident. If you have questions about whether an incident is reactive or not, speak with the security team through the client portal.
No. We are only able to remove content that is malicious, and content that you have trademark or brand rights for. We are not able to have content removed from a website if we are not able to prove that you have rights to the content or that that content is malicious.
The time to take down will vary based on the content that we are trying to have removed. If the content is illegal and goes against standard web terms and conditions then there is a chance that the content could be removed relatively quickly. Should the content fall into a grey area and be open to interpretation then in will be a little more difficult to have the content removed.
When we are first notified about an infringement we will send out messages to all parties, once a party has been notified it will also depend on their internal processes (which are out of our control) as to how long it takes for action to be taken.
If you’ve located some content that is malicious or targeting your business, the first step is to sign up for one of our packages (View Products). Once you have an account you will be able to report content using the reporting feature that is built into the system. The reporting tool will let you know what content needs to be submitted.
Site Takedown is designed for smaller organizations who are not large targets of online abuse. If you would like details of a fully managed service with robust monitoring and a larger number of takedowns, contact us to have a representative of FraudWatch International discuss your requirements.
Site Takedown has been designed for small organizations with one brand. Should you have multiple brands, you will need to create multiple accounts. Alternatively, you can contact us to have a representative of FraudWatch International discuss your requirements for multiple brand protection.
What is Social Media abuse?
Social media abuse occurs when someone tries to impersonate you or your business on social media. This includes pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest. There are two types of impersonations, brand impersonation and executive impersonation.
Brand Impersonation is when a page or user has been created that is a copy of your businesses social media page; so the page is ‘impersonating’ your brand. An executive impersonation is when a page or user is created that is impersonating an executive of the business.
Before any action can be taken to have content removed from social media platforms, we will require trademark or personal identification so that when we approach social media platforms we can prove that the account in question is an impersonation.