National hotlines are available in many parts of the world for the reporting of any potentially illegal content or activity on the Internet.
The best place to report incidents of malware and spyware is to your security software provider. In cases where cleaning/removal of infections is unsuccessful, technical support pages should be checked for further information and the technical support department of your security provider should be contacted for further assistance if required.
Many security products are able to automatically send details of detections - often including samples of malware or suspected malware - to research labs as they are detected, for further analysis and statistical information. We would encourage all users to activate such functionality where possible, to help provide the best possible protection for other users and to ensure security experts are able to monitor potential major outbreaks.
In some cases it may be preferable to send samples manually, for example via email. We strongly advise against
sending viruses via email in unencrypted form - password-protected archives are generally acceptable and PGP-style encryption techniques are even safer. Individual firms have their own requirements and advice on how to submit samples. While not exhaustive, the following list provides malware submission details for most of the major anti-malware firms.
- Agnitum (Outpost)
A web form is provided to upload suspected malware samples and false positives,
here.
- AhnLab (V3Net)
An online sample-submission system is provided
here.
- Aladdin (eSafe)
A web form is provided for technical support contacts and sample submission
here.
eSafe
customers only, requires login, works with
Internet Explorer
only.
- Avast!
A web form is provided for users to send reports of suspicious files or false positives to the company's Virus Lab
here.
- Avira
The company provides a web form for sample submissions
here. Alternatively, suspicious files can be emailed to
virus@avira.com
- the company recommends that samples are sent as password-protected archives. Details of submission requirements are
here.
- AVG
The company provides an email address for sample submissions,
virus@avg.com, and recommends that samples are sent as password-protected archives.
- Bitdefender
The company provides an online sample submission form for reporting false positives and false negatives
here.
- BullGuard
- Dr.Web
A form is provided for sample submissions
here.
- ESET (NOD32)
The company provides an email address for sample submissions,
samples@eset.com, and recommends using archives protected with the password 'infected' and providing details about the file in question.
- Frisk (F-PROT)
An online form is provided for submission of suspicious files,
here. A PGP key is provided for secure transfer,
here.
- F-Secure
A sample submission system - for the submission of samples including malware, false positives, spyware, adware and riskware - can be found
here.
- Fortinet (FortiClient)
Samples can be submitted via an online scanner system
here, or manually by email. Full instructions are
here.
- Hauri (ViRobot)
An online reporting system is operated for the reporting of suspected malware
here.
- Kaspersky Lab
The company provides an email address for the submission of suspected malware samples:
newvirus @kaspersky.com.
- K7 Computing
- Lavasoft (AdAware)
Malware sample submissions are accepted via an online form
here, with an upload limit of 20 Megabytes. Larger submissions, or submissions that do not involve a file upload, can be emailed to
research@lavasoft.com. False positives can be reported via an online form
here.
- McAfee
Sample submissions should be made via the McAfee ServicePortal
here
(free user registration is required). Full details as to how to submit a sample are given
here. Alternatively, samples can be emailed to
Virus_Research@avertlabs.com.
- Microsoft (Security Essentials, Windows Defender)
Microsoft
offers a malware-submission system as part of its security portal,
here.
- eScan
The company's support department can be contacted at
support@escanav.com
for details of how to submit suspect files.
- Norman
- PC Tools
An online malware submission system is provided
here.
- Quick Heal
- Rising
An online form for submitting suspect samples is provided
here
(maximum file size 5MB).
- Sophos
Suspect files can be submitted via email or through an online system, details and links for doing so are
here. Mislabelled spam or non-spam messages can also be reported, instructions are
here.
- ThreatTrack Security (VIPRE)
An online submission system for unrecognized or problematic malware is provided
here, with a separate system for submitting suspected false positives
here.
- Symantec (Norton)
Details of how to submit suspect or problematic samples, depending on type of user and product, are provided
here.
- Trend Micro
Suspicious files can be uploaded via the company's support site
here, and false alarms reported
here.
Information on how to submit spam samples is provided
here.
- VirusBlokAda (VBA32)
Samples can be sent to
newvirus @anti-virus.by.
Phishing attacks targeting banks, building societies, credit unions or other financial institutions should be reported directly to the institution in question. Websites hosting phishing attacks should be reported to ISPs. Victims of identity theft and fraud should also report incidents to local police.
The following is a list of some of the major online shopping sites and providers of financial services and their phishing/spam contact information:
Most other online stores and banks will provide contacts for reporting suspected phishing, theft or other forms of cybercrime. These are usually displayed on the appropriate website.
In general, researchers discovering vulnerabilities in software products can report them directly to the developers of the software. Local CERTs generally provide reporting systems for software vulnerabilities. Several specialized firms also provide reporting services, often including verification of claims and rapid trusted reporting systems.
Many major development houses provide their own reporting systems for vulnerabilities and abuse, and in recent years several companies have set up 'bug bounty' programmes, in which those who report bugs to the company in question receive recognition and compensation. Comprehensive lists of bug bounties are kept by
Bugsheet
here
and by
Bugcrowd
here. A few of the most significant firms are listed below.
- Adobe
Adobe
provides a form for reporting security issues associated with its products. Details of how to use the form, and a link to the form itself are
here.
- Facebook
Facebook's responsible disclosure policy, which includes details of what should be reported, what should
not
be reported, and reward guidelines, can be found
here, and a form for reporting vulnerabilities is
here.
- Google
Details of
Google's Vulnerability Reward Program (VRP) are provided
here, and bugs can be reported via an online form
here. Vulnerability reports for
Android
should be emailed to
security@android.com, while for
Chrome
vulnerabilities, the Chromium bug tracker should be used,
here.
- Microsoft
Details of
Microsoft's bug bounty programmes can be found
here, while details of how to submit information relating to security vulnerabilities in the company's products and services are
here.
- Mozilla
Mozilla's bug bounty guidelines can be found
here, along with details of how to submit a vulnerability report.
- PayPal
PayPal's bug bounty guidelines can be found
here, along with details of how to submit a bug report.
- Twitter
Details of
Twitter's bug bounty programme can be found on the company's
HackerOne
page,
here. The page also includes a link for reporting bugs.
- Yahoo!
Details of
Yahoo!'s bug bounty programme can be found on the company's
HackerOne
page,
here. The page also includes a link for reporting bugs.