# PhishDestroy threat dossier — approvalguard.io ================================================================ Fetched: 2026-04-22 20:31:22 UTC Canonical: https://phishdestroy.io/domain/approvalguard.io/ ## VERDICT ---------------------------------------------------------------- TAKEN DOWN (neutralised) Composite threat score: 47/100 (PhishDestroy scoring — see methodology below) ## DETECTION EVIDENCE ---------------------------------------------------------------- VirusTotal: 2/93 security vendors flagged this domain Flagging vendors: Gridinsoft, SOCRadar Public blocklists: listed on 1 independent blocklist Victim re-reports (public form): 1 ## INFRASTRUCTURE ---------------------------------------------------------------- IP address: 172.66.0.96 (US, San Francisco) ASN: ASAS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. Hosting org: AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. Registrar: NameCheap, Inc. Nameservers: ns1.digitalocean.com, ns2.digitalocean.com, ns3.digitalocean.com Registered: 2026-02-21 Page title: ApprovalGuard.io ## TLS CERTIFICATE ---------------------------------------------------------------- Issuer: Google Trust Services / WE1 Expires: 2026-04-17 Status: INVALID chain Fingerprint: d94c5141189b57b80f55213472108672ded943a7851982bff755da5abd4457b1 ## ABUSE-REPORT HISTORY (evidence of registrar non-response) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Status: CLOSED — no report required. This domain was neutralised before the abuse-report cycle could be dispatched — either the hosting provider / registrar suspended it on their own, the DNS went dead, or the operator abandoned the infrastructure. PhishDestroy keeps the evidence bundle on file for audit but no formal notice was sent. ## TIMELINE ---------------------------------------------------------------- Domain registered: 2026-02-21 (per WHOIS / CT — may reflect a renewal or transfer date, not first-ever registration) First detected: 2026-02-25 02:39:27 UTC (by PhishDestroy tracker) Earliest abuse rec: 2026-02-19 17:35:04 UTC — PREDATES current WHOIS registration; retained from a previous registration cycle of the same domain name Last verified: 2026-04-13 02:38:50 UTC Neutralised: 2026-03-15 06:13:24 UTC Current status: taken down (registrar suspended or DNS dead) Note: one or more events above predate the WHOIS creation date. This typically means the same domain name was previously registered, detected, dropped, and then re-registered by a new party. PhishDestroy preserves the full historical record for operator-attribution research even when the underlying infrastructure changes hands. ## EXTERNAL CORROBORATION (third-party evidence) ---------------------------------------------------------------- URLScan.io: https://urlscan.io/result/019c7652-8d66-767f-90e0-e64afead9ce4/ Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/*/approvalguard.io crt.sh CT logs: https://crt.sh/?q=%25.approvalguard.io Google transparency: https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?url=approvalguard.io AlienVault OTX: https://otx.alienvault.com/indicator/domain/approvalguard.io URLhaus: https://urlhaus.abuse.ch/host/approvalguard.io/ ## ANALYST NARRATIVE ---------------------------------------------------------------- [Generated: 2026-03-19 05:51:15 UTC — narrative may predate facts above. Treat fields in TIMELINE / DETECTION EVIDENCE / INFRASTRUCTURE as authoritative if they differ from the prose below.] PhishDestroy identifies ApprovalGuard.io as a domain associated with generic phishing activity. While the risk level is assessed as low, phishing attempts remain a significant threat because they aim to deceive users into revealing sensitive information such as login credentials or financial data. Vigilance is necessary since even low-risk phishing sites can contribute to broader malicious campaigns. The domain ApprovalGuard.io was registered through NameCheap, Inc. with a creation date set in the future, February 21, 2026, which may indicate suspicious or erroneous registration details. VirusTotal flagged 2 out of 95 security vendors for potential issues, and the domain appears on one security blocklist. Its IP address resolves to 172.66.0.96. Currently, the site is taken offline, reducing immediate exposure but not eliminating the risk of future activity. Users should avoid interacting with emails, messages, or links referencing ApprovalGuard.io. It is advisable not to provide any personal or financial information if redirected to this domain or similar suspicious sites. Maintaining updated security software and consulting trusted security resources like PhishDestroy.io can help mitigate risks related to phishing threats. ## EVIDENCE HASHES ---------------------------------------------------------------- Favicon SHA-256: 6e21162bc64073fe9e3d3d6375ca24d04fed1912a5b7716aac0cb0f2d16fae7c TLS cert SHA-256: d94c5141189b57b80f55213472108672ded943a7851982bff755da5abd4457b1 ## SCORING METHODOLOGY ---------------------------------------------------------------- Composite score is NOT derived from VirusTotal alone. PhishDestroy aggregates: - VirusTotal positive ratio - Public blocklist consensus (MetaMask, ScamSniffer, OpenPhish, PhishTank, URLhaus, CryptoFirewall, SEAL, Polkadot, Enkrypt, Phishunt, DiscordPhishing, PhishingDB) - Cloaking detection (HTTP 666 or rendering delta between bot and real visitor) - DNS-filter consensus (Quad9, CleanBrowsing, NextDNS, AdGuard, Cloudflare, etc.) - AlienVault OTX pulses + Cloudflare Radar + Google Safe Browsing - URLScan / URLQuery verdicts - Brand-impersonation heuristics (DOM analysis of forms, logos, wording) - Known phishing-kit fingerprinting (favicon hash, JS obfuscation signatures) - Wallet-drainer family classification (Angel, MS, Rainbow, Pink, Inferno, ...) - Free-TLS vs paid-cert ratio (throwaway infrastructure signal) - Registrar/hosting abuse history (this registrar's track record) - Human researcher sign-off (volunteer takedown team) A domain present in our database is ALREADY flagged. A low VT count by itself does NOT mean the domain is safe — new scam domains routinely show 0/95 VT for their first 7–30 days while actively draining wallets. Always cross-reference the composite score and the individual indicators above, not just VT. ## CORRECTIONS / APPEALS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Full HTML report: https://phishdestroy.io/domain/approvalguard.io/ JSON API: https://api.destroy.tools/v1/check?domain=approvalguard.io Appeal a flag: https://phishdestroy.io/appeals/ (responded to within 48 hours, FP rate <0.01%) Submit a report: https://t.me/PhishDestroy_bot About PhishDestroy: volunteer-driven open-source threat-intelligence platform. Tracked: 131,000+ phishing domains. Confirmed takedowns: 91,000+. Site: https://phishdestroy.io