TA0043 · RECONNAISSANCE
WHOIS
Adversaries may search public WHOIS data for information about victims that can be used during targeting. WHOIS data is stored by regional Internet registries (RIR) responsible for allocating and assigning Internet resources such as domain names.
Detect it with
Much of this activity may have a very high occurrence and associated false positive rate, as well as potentially taking place outside the visibility of the target organization, making detection difficult for defenders.
Why it matters on shift
WHOIS is one of the concrete ways adversaries achieve reconnaissance. Recognising it in telemetry lets you name the technique in your ticket and pivot to what came before and after.
What to look for next
After reconnaissance, the next tactic is usually Resource Development. Search your telemetry for the transition before closing the ticket.
Kill-chain context