When faced with infringing content, phishing domain or an impersonation of the brand, security teams want to take down content instantly. Instant isn’t easy, unfortunately, as takedown management is a highly complex and time consuming operation. Teams must know who to contact, how to initiate a takedown but also what to say, for effective removal. 

On top of that, takedown management requires expertise and knowledge of that landscape, which is often lacking in-house, given time resources and skills shortage. Takedown management requires a hands-on approach to initiating, tracking and following up on the status of a takedown – for effective removal. 

To help teams takedown threats seamlessly, Digital Shadows (now ReliaQuest) offers two options:

1. Self-service takedowns (unlimited)

2. Managed takedowns (available for an additional fee)

Pre-built templates to swiftly issue takedown notices

SearchLight customers can just click the ‘self serve’ icon in the top right hand corner of an alert, and select the ‘self serve’ feature. Following this, users can then choose from a selection of pre-populated templates, and after selecting a chosen template, users can seamlessly export a pre-populated takedown request which can then be fired off to the content host. 

The ‘self-serve’ tool is designed to assist security teams with confronting a takedown upfront, providing detailed templates which can then be sent in emails to the content host. For example, for one site, such as Pastebin, these emails can be sent directly from the SearchLight (now ReliaQuest’s GreyMatter Digital Risk Protection) platform.

'Self-Serve' tool
Figure 1: Sending a Terms and Conditions violation notice to Pastebin

Here’s How:

Self-serve can be applied to the following alerts:

  • Exposed credentials or PII on Pastebin
  • Exposed technical information on GitHub
  • Spoof social media company profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
  • Spoof social media VIP profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
  • Impersonating and phishing domains
  • Impersonating or malicious apps on mobile app stores

Once you’ve selected which alert you’d like to takedown, SearchLight (now ReliaQuest’s GreyMatter Digital Risk Protection) users can then choose from three pre-populated templates: 

  • Copyright infringement notification (DMCA)
  • Request for content removal
  • Terms and conditions violation notice

Each template varies based on the type of threat it represents to the business – and SearchLight (now ReliaQuest’s GreyMatter Digital Risk Protection) users can select the most appropriate for them. Each template varies based on the type of threat it represents to the business – and SearchLight (now ReliaQuest’s GreyMatter Digital Risk Protection) users can select the most appropriate for them. 

Pre-populated template alert
Figure 2: Pre-populated template which can be accessed via an alert

When to Consider Managed Takedowns

While these templated takedown options cover a range of use cases, some teams opt for Managed Takedowns, an add-on service to perform these actions on your behalf. This is often for two reasons:

  1. Save time. Security teams have many responsibilities under their remit, and takedown management is not one they want to add. 
  2. Complex takedown issues. Even for those teams that do have the time to request takedowns, some infringing content is very challenging to navigate. When attempting to have a domain taken down, for example, different TLDs may be easier than others to work with. 

Front and Centre: Don’t Let Remediation Become an Afterthought

Whether your threat intelligence function collects data manually or relies on an external provider, either option should embed remediation into the workflow.  

If remediation seems daunting, Digital Risk Solutions are an attractive option, in that sense, because they can manage and mitigate risk on your behalf.

To learn more about the different use cases supported by Digital Shadows (now ReliaQuest)’ Managed Takedown service offering, read our datasheet.