The digital security landscape in Brazil faces increasing challenges due to the sophistication of attacks exploiting the Domain Name System (DNS). In an initiative to make the network more secure and resilient, ABES (Brazilian Association of Software Companies), in partnership with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), maintains a portal dedicated to receiving reports and educating the public on mitigating these threats. cyber abuse.
What is the DNS Abuse?
DNS functions like the internet's "phone book," translating website names into IP addresses that computers understand. Abuse occurs when malicious actors use these records for criminal activities. According to ICANN protocols, there are five main categories of DNS abuse: botnets (infected computer networks), malware (malicious codes), pharming (redirecting from trusted sites to fake ones), phishing (theft of information and financial data) and spam, when it serves as a vector for the other crimes mentioned.
Mitigation of abuses it is based on contractual provisions Established by ICANN, these rules are valid worldwide. Companies that register domains are required to maintain 24-hour contact points to receive complaints.“When abuse is proven, penalties may include freezing or canceling the domain. Experts point out that reporting the issue correctly to the right entity resolves most problems without the immediate need for legal action, since contractual mechanisms already provide for these solutions.”explains Paulo Milliet Roque, president of the ABES board.
Anyone who receives spam containing DNS abuse or identifies any cybercrime characterized as DNS abuse can report it by forwarding the email or SMS message directly to our email address. cybercrimes@abes.org.br. For more information, visit: https://abes.org.br/abuso-de-dns/. The ABES website offers educational material on the most common types of abuse.
Important guidelines for filing a complaint:
Do not use screenshots.To investigate, technicians need the original files or copies of the email/SMS body to analyze meta tags and headers.
Check the URLBefore clicking, hover your cursor over links to see the actual destination of the address.
Read from right to left.Identify the top-level domain (such as .org or .br) to find out who is responsible for managing that space.
Digital Education as a Defense
Beyond the technical response, experts argue that digital training and education should begin early, preferably in school environments, so that children and adults learn to recognize suspicious behavior online. Transparency and collective effort among civil society, businesses, and technical bodies are seen as the only way to maintain trust and security in the Brazilian digital environment.
