# PhishDestroy threat dossier — notepadplusplus.io ================================================================ Fetched: 2026-07-13 06:53:37 UTC Canonical: https://phishdestroy.io/domain/notepadplusplus.io/ ## VERDICT ---------------------------------------------------------------- TAKEN DOWN (neutralised) Composite threat score: 100/100 (PhishDestroy scoring — see methodology below) ## DETECTION EVIDENCE ---------------------------------------------------------------- VirusTotal: 2/91 security vendors flagged this domain Flagging vendors: Gridinsoft, SOCRadar Public blocklists: listed on 3 independent blocklists ## INFRASTRUCTURE ---------------------------------------------------------------- IP address: 188.114.96.3 (US, San Francisco) ASN: ASAS13335 CLOUDFLARENET - Cloudflare, Inc., US Hosting org: AS13335 Cloudflare, Inc. Registrar: Spaceship, Inc. Nameservers: harvey.ns.cloudflare.com, ruth.ns.cloudflare.com Registered: 2026-05-24 Expires: 2027-05-24 Page title: Notepad++ — Advanced Source Code Editor & Text Editor for Windows HTTP response: 200 ## TLS CERTIFICATE ---------------------------------------------------------------- Issuer: Let's Encrypt / E7 Expires: 2026-08-22 Status: INVALID chain Fingerprint: 05b332caa840d6ef2356afb348392720fc0e89bdc39bbd24753b2395e995766e ## 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: 2026-05-24 (per WHOIS / CT — may reflect a renewal or transfer date, not first-ever registration) First detected: 2026-07-06 14:56:16 UTC (by PhishDestroy tracker) Last verified: 2026-07-13 08:20:41 UTC Neutralised: 2026-07-06 18:16:50 UTC Current status: taken down (registrar suspended or DNS dead) ## EXTERNAL CORROBORATION (third-party evidence) ---------------------------------------------------------------- URLScan.io: https://urlscan.io/result/019f377e-ecb7-74e2-90e9-9766a9b4008a/ Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/*/notepadplusplus.io crt.sh CT logs: https://crt.sh/?q=%25.notepadplusplus.io Google transparency: https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search?url=notepadplusplus.io AlienVault OTX: https://otx.alienvault.com/indicator/domain/notepadplusplus.io URLhaus: https://urlhaus.abuse.ch/host/notepadplusplus.io/ ## ANALYST NARRATIVE ---------------------------------------------------------------- [Generated: 2026-07-06 15:00:16 UTC — narrative may predate facts above. Treat fields in TIMELINE / DETECTION EVIDENCE / INFRASTRUCTURE as authoritative if they differ from the prose below.] This domain, notepadplusplus.io, is currently under investigation for generic phishing activity targeting users of the Notepad++ source code editor. The site impersonates the legitimate Notepad++ brand, presenting itself as an official download source for the software. Analysis indicates a high likelihood of malicious intent, potentially distributing trojanized installers or other malware under the guise of legitimate software. Infrastructure analysis reveals the domain was registered on May 24, 2026, through Spaceship, Inc., and resolves to the IP address 188.114.97.3. As of the latest scan, the domain has not been flagged by any of the 95 vendors on VirusTotal, resulting in a 0/95 detection score. The page title, 'Notepad++ — Advanced Source Code Editor & Text Editor for Windows,' closely mirrors the branding of the authentic Notepad++ website, increasing the risk of user deception. No blocklist entries or trust scores have been recorded at this time, though the creation date discrepancy (future-dated) raises additional red flags. Current status remains active, with no takedown or mitigation measures observed. Users are advised to avoid interacting with notepadplusplus.io and to verify software downloads exclusively through the official Notepad++ website or trusted repositories. Network administrators should consider blocking the domain and its resolving IP (188.114.97.3) at the perimeter. If the domain has been accessed, systems should be scanned for unauthorized software installations or modifications. Further monitoring is recommended as this investigation progresses. [Updates since narrative was generated:] - Public blocklists: now listed on 3 feeds - VirusTotal detections: now 2/91 (narrative was written when count was lower) ## EVIDENCE HASHES ---------------------------------------------------------------- Favicon MD5: 23db96f1d6ada97a6d7aef21284b389d TLS cert SHA-256: 05b332caa840d6ef2356afb348392720fc0e89bdc39bbd24753b2395e995766e ## 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 (operator 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/notepadplusplus.io/ JSON API: https://api.destroy.tools/v1/check?domain=notepadplusplus.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: independent open-source threat-intelligence platform. Tracked: 178,020 domains (49,754 alive under monitoring, 128,266 confirmed takedowns/dead). Site: https://phishdestroy.io