# Attack Ent T1596 002 Whois > Analyze MITRE ATT&CK T1596.002 WHOIS in the enterprise matrix. Use for TTP triage, detection engineering, hunting, defensive emulation planning, mitigations, incident response mapping, ATT&CK coverage, or questions mentioning T1596.002, WHOIS, or enterprise ATT&CK. Adversaries may search public WHOIS data for information about victims that can be used during targeting. - Skill: `santosomar/attack-ent-t1596-002-whois` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 11 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add santosomar/attack-ent-t1596-002-whois` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/santosomar/attack-ent-t1596-002-whois/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MITRE ATT&CK Terms of Use apply to ATT&CK-derived content. See h - Author: santosomar (https://skillmd.com/u/santosomar) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/santosomar/attack-ent-t1596-002-whois --- # MITRE ATT&CK T1596.002: WHOIS ## When to use this skill Use this skill when the task involves T1596.002, WHOIS, enterprise ATT&CK, TTP mapping, detection engineering, hunting, incident-response enrichment, control validation, or authorized adversary-emulation planning. Treat it as a defensive analysis aid: keep outputs focused on understanding, detecting, mitigating, and safely validating this ATT&CK sub-technique. ## Technique context - ATT&CK domain: enterprise - ATT&CK ID: T1596.002 - Technique name: WHOIS - Type: sub-technique - ATT&CK URL: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1596/002 - Tactics: reconnaissance - Platforms: PRE - Required permissions: Not specified - Effective permissions: Not specified - Defenses bypassed: Not specified ## ATT&CK description 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. Anyone can query WHOIS servers for information about a registered domain, such as assigned IP blocks, contact information, and DNS nameservers.(Citation: WHOIS) Adversaries may search WHOIS data to gather actionable information. Threat actors can use online resources or command-line utilities to pillage through WHOIS data for information about potential victims. Information from these sources may reveal opportunities for other forms of reconnaissance (ex: [Active Scanning](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1595) or [Phishing for Information](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1598)), establishing operational resources (ex: [Acquire Infrastructure](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1583) or [Compromise Infrastructure](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1584)), and/or initial access (ex: [External Remote Services](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1133) or [Trusted Relationship](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1199)). ## Agent workflow 1. Clarify scope: identify the system, asset class, log sources, cloud or endpoint platform, and whether the user wants triage, detection, coverage assessment, or safe emulation planning. 2. Load bundled resources as needed: use `references/technique-profile.json` for structured metadata, `references/detection-and-mitigation.md` for triage and telemetry guidance, `references/known-threat-context.md` for ATT&CK relationship context, and `templates/` for repeatable outputs. 3. Map observations to ATT&CK: compare the user's evidence to the ATT&CK description, tactics, platforms, and known procedure patterns before asserting a match. 4. Produce defensive outputs: prioritize hypotheses, telemetry requirements, detection logic ideas, validation steps, containment guidance, and mitigations. 5. Preserve uncertainty: distinguish confirmed evidence, plausible indicators, assumptions, and gaps. Recommend what to collect next. 6. Stay safe: do not provide malware, credential theft, persistence, evasion, destructive automation, or unauthorized exploitation instructions. For adversary emulation, keep steps bounded to approved lab or control-validation contexts and omit operational abuse details. ## Bundled resources - `references/technique-profile.json`: machine-readable ATT&CK metadata for this technique. - `references/detection-and-mitigation.md`: detection notes, telemetry checklist, triage questions, mitigation candidates, and false-positive considerations. - `references/known-threat-context.md`: ATT&CK relationship context with attribution cautions. - `templates/detection-brief.md`: detection engineering brief template. - `templates/hunt-plan.md`: threat hunt plan template. - `templates/incident-response-note.md`: incident response note template. - `templates/coverage-assessment.md`: ATT&CK coverage assessment template. - `scripts/render_brief.py`: local helper that renders a Markdown defensive brief from `technique-profile.json`. - `assets/output-schema.json`: JSON schema for structured technique analysis outputs. To generate a quick brief, run `python scripts/render_brief.py --output brief.md` from inside this skill directory, or adapt the templates directly. ## Detection guidance No ATT&CK detection guidance was present in the source STIX object. ## Useful telemetry and data sources - Not specified in the STIX object. ## Mitigations to consider - Pre-compromise ## Known threat context Use these examples only as contextual leads, not as proof that an observed event is this technique: - No group or software uses relationships were included for this technique in the source STIX bundle. ## Recommended output pattern When responding with this skill, structure the answer as: - Assessment: whether the evidence supports this ATT&CK mapping and why. - Evidence: specific indicators, logs, behaviors, and assumptions. - Detection: telemetry sources, analytic logic, and tuning considerations. - Response: containment, eradication, recovery, and validation actions. - Coverage gaps: missing logs, sensors, controls, or environmental details. - References: include the ATT&CK URL and any user-provided evidence references.