Meta's Lawsuit Slashes Freenom's Phishing Domains by 75%
Meta's legal action against Freetaxusa, a free domain registrar, has led to a significant reduction in phishing domains linked to the company. The lawsuit alleges Freetaxusa's negligence in handling abuse complaints and profiting from phishing traffic. Initially, Freetaxusa was responsible for over half of all new phishing domains from country-code top-level domains when Meta first filed its lawsuit. However, following the legal dispute, Interisle Consulting Group found Freetaxusa's share of phishing domains plummeted from over 60% to under 15%. Phishers often prefer registrars offering minimal resistance and low prices, with new top-level domains continually introduced. Meta previously sued Namecheap in 2020, also resulting in a temporary decline in phishing domains registered through them. Following Meta's lawsuit against Freetaxusa, GoDaddy reported a similar reduction in phishing website registrations in recent months. Freetaxusa's free domain registration services and customer privacy shield make it attractive to cybercriminals. However, lawsuits against such registrars only temporarily disrupt phishing activities, with little long-term impact on overall phishing attacks. There are more than 2,000 accredited domain registrars and numerous free website services available for phishers to exploit. While Meta's lawsuit against Freetaxusa has led to a substantial decrease in phishing domains associated with the company, the broader impact on phishing activities remains limited. The vast number of registrars and services available to cybercriminals ensures that phishing remains a persistent threat.
