Buzz
Doxing is simply referring to the process of gathering information about other users such as name, age, email, address, phone number, images, ... from publicly available sources, such as the Internet. In other words, doxing is the act of using the Internet to search for personal information about someone.
What is Doxing and how is it done?
Doxing is carried out by taking a piece of information (such as a name or email address) and using that information as a basis to find other details about that person. The term 'Doxing' originates from 'document tracing,' which means obtaining documents about a specific person or company to learn more about them.
Doxing Techniques
In today's world, the Internet has evolved to a dimension where it can contain almost any information you can imagine. All you have to do is employ suitable techniques to search for what you desire.
Here is a list of doxing techniques used by Internet experts and white-hat hackers:
Utilizing Google
Google undoubtedly plays a crucial role in doxing. It indexes almost everything on the Internet (sometimes even personal information), so this tool can uncover details like email IDs, addresses, phone numbers, and images of any individual or company.
After receiving search results for your query, carefully examine the description section, as it often contains the information you are seeking.
Social Networking Sites
Since most Internet users engage in social networks, platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn serve as a virtual goldmine of essential information for conducting Doxing. You can restrict Facebook from accessing user information to avoid encountering unwanted details while using this social network.
Many users are unaware of online security issues, leading them to set up lax security for their personal information and profiles. This creates an opportunity for attackers to easily access personal details such as photos, real names, locations, occupations, and their partners' names.
Reverse Cell Phone Lookup
'Reverse Cell Phone Lookup' is simply the process of searching for detailed personal information about someone, such as name, age, address, and related information, using their phone number and vice versa.
There are numerous online services, such as Intelius, that provide access to specific personal information based on a person's phone number, name, and email ID.
Whois Search
If a user or company associates a website (or domain) with them, you can easily perform a 'whois search' on their website to obtain personal information such as their name, address, email, and mobile phone number. Just visit whois.domaintools.com and enter the domain you're searching for; the screen will display all details related to the domain.
What is Doxing and how is it done?
Why Users Engage in Doxing?
Most users perform Doxing out of curiosity about the general information of a person or company. However, some users engage in Doxing for purposes of extortion or revenge against someone by exposing the personal information they have gathered about that person.
Consequences of Doxing?
Feeling discomfort and shame is inevitable if your data and personal information fall into the hands of others. However, things can get worse if Doxing-related information about someone's social activities, other crucial details, etc., is threatened to be publicly exposed or used for extortion.
Steps to Protect Yourself from Doxing
Here are some of the most common pieces of information vulnerable to collection through Doxing:
- Full name.
- Age, gender, and date of birth.
- Location and birthplace.
- Email address and username.
- Phone number.
- Social media profiles, websites, and blogs.
To avoid having these details collected through Doxing, it's best to conceal them. While it may not be possible to hide these details in every case, it's still a way to protect your information— the less public, the better.
Here are some useful tricks to protect yourself:
1. Do not upload personal photos to websites like Picasa. If you upload photos to that website, make sure your album is hidden from search engines.
2. Avoid displaying personal profiles on search engines.
3. Optimize security settings for social media profiles. Ensure that your albums and personal photos are securely configured.
4. Do not use one email address for all accounts. Instead, create a separate email ID for each activity such as gaming, participating in forums, bank accounts, etc.
Is Doxing a Crime?
If the purpose aligns with ethical standards and doesn't harm anyone, Doxing is certainly not a crime. However, if used for extortion, revenge, etc., Doxing is considered a criminal act.
Here, Mytour has just introduced what Doxing is and how it is done. Currently, in the online world, there are many terms related to personal information security. Alongside Doxing, there are also Phishing, Pharming, and more. You should also learn what Pharming is to have a solid understanding of the potential risks on the internet. Hopefully, after this article, you will have more knowledge about security to protect yourself from attacks, data theft, and personal information breaches.
