Reporting Cyber Threats

How to Report a Cyber Threat

If you encounter a possible cyber threat, data breach, or security incident, it’s critical to act quickly and notify the right people. Reporting helps protect others, assists investigations, and strengthens overall cyber defense.

1. Collect Key Details

Before you report, gather as much information as possible:

Description of the threat (e.g., phishing email, ransomware message, suspicious domain)
Screenshots or sample files (do not open or forward malware)
Date, time, and method of discovery
System or network affected
Any known impact (e.g., data loss, system outage)

Keep this evidence secure and do not attempt to investigate further if it might risk spreading malware or destroying data.

2. Report to the Proper Authorities

Always report serious cyber incidents to official authorities. Depending on your location and type of threat, you should contact:

U.S. Authorities
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): https://www.ic3.gov
Outside the U.S.
- Report to your national CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) or cybercrime unit.
  (Find your national CERT here: https://www.first.org/members/teams

3. Notify Your Organization

If you work for a company, school, or government entity:

Immediately alert your IT Security or Incident Response team.
Follow internal escalation policies (e.g., email security@yourdomain.com

4. Report Phishing & Malicious Emails

For email-based threats:

Forward phishing messages to:
📧 phishing-report@us-cert.gov

5. Optional: Share with the Security Community

If safe and approved by your organization, you can contribute anonymized information to:

VirusTotal (file and URL analysis)
AbuseIPDB (malicious IP reporting)
Spamhaus (spam or botnet sources)

This helps security researchers track active threats and strengthen detection across the ecosystem.

Important Reminder

Always involve the proper authorities.
While community reporting tools and platforms like XLoggs raise awareness, only law enforcement and CERTs can formally investigate, attribute, and take down malicious actors.