Cybercriminals Hate This! CloudSEK’s Fake Domains Observer is Changing the Game

Cybercriminals are evolving, and so should your defense! CloudSEK’s Fake Domains Observer is a game-changing enhancement in fake domain detection, proactively scanning for dormant threats, phishing attempts, and critical domain changes—even years after their first detection. Unlike traditional monitoring, this smart system automatically re-evaluates high-risk domains, ensuring that no resurfacing cyber threat goes unnoticed. Stay ahead of hackers, safeguard your digital assets, and respond to threats faster and smarter than ever before!

Anjali Bhavesh Thacker

February 11, 2025

Stay Ahead of Evolving Cyber Threats

In cybersecurity, threats evolve quickly, and what seemed harmless yesterday could pose a significant risk today. CloudSEK’s Digital Risk Protection (DRP) platform continuously innovates to help organizations stay ahead. We are excited to introduce a powerful enhancement to our Fake Domains module: The Fake Domains Observer, designed to make monitoring even more efficient and proactive.

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The Challenge: Missing Critical Changes in Historical Domains

The default and custom alert rules for follow-up scans (i.e. rescans) ensure that newly identified fake domains are regularly tracked and monitored. However, older domains, i.e. those reported before the introduction of follow-up scans or those not marked for follow-ups could undergo significant changes without triggering new alerts. These changes might include:

Domains being repurchased after expiration
Updates to SSL certificates or
Modifications to WHOIS records

This could lead organizations to overlook critical updates indicating a resurfacing phishing attempt.

The Solution: Fake Domains Observer for Enhanced Scanning

To bridge this gap, we have implemented a system that automatically activates additional scans when significant changes are detected in previously tracked domains. Unlike scheduled follow-up scans, this system operates independently, ensuring that both new and historical fake domains remain under continuous scrutiny.

How It Works:

The system actively monitors all the potential fake domains and detects any significant changes.
When a change is identified, a new event is created and linked to the original event.
The Reason for Rescan is provided to get insights into why a domain was re-evaluated.

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Real-World Impact: Detecting Long-Dormant Threats

The effectiveness of this new mechanism was quickly proven in real-world scenarios:

A phishing domain impersonating a real estate company lay dormant for four years until a recent WHOIS update revealed it was hosting a phishing page, triggering detection.

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An active phishing domain targeting a logistics company was flagged after two years of inactivity.

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Why This Matters for You

Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and traditional monitoring approaches may not be enough to detect threats that evolve over time. With CloudSEK’s enhanced scanning mechanism, you can:

✅ Catch resurging phishing threats early, even if they seemed dormant for years.

✅ Ensure continuous surveillance of both new and historical fake domains.

✅ Receive faster, more actionable alerts, improving your response time.

✅ Protect your brand proactively, reducing the risk of financial and reputational damage.

Stay One Step Ahead

With the introduction of the Fake Domains Observer, CloudSEK reinforces its commitment to proactive cybersecurity. This enhancement ensures that no critical domain changes go unnoticed, keeping businesses safe from ever-evolving digital threats.

Stay ahead, stay secure! 🚨🔍