Reverse WHOIS by Email: Find All Domains Linked to an Email Address

The Internet is built on a system of domain names, each of which is registered to an owner through a domain registrar. While looking up domain ownership details is common, there are situations where people need to reverse the search process—instead of finding information about a single domain, they want to discover all domains associated with a specific detail, such as an email address, a company name, or an individual's name. This is where Reverse WHOIS Lookup comes into play.

Reverse WHOIS is a powerful tool that allows cybersecurity professionals, businesses, and researchers to track domain ownership patterns, monitor brand usage, and identify potential threats.

By using Reverse Lookup, you can retrieve an extensive list of domain names linked to a particular email address, registrant name, or company.

This blog explores the technical aspects of Reverse WHOIS Lookup along with its significance, methods, and tools.

It is a simple process running the WHOIS lookup using WHOIS tool offered by WhoisFreaks. You are offered 4 different ways to run the query. For example, you can run your query using a specific keyword, email address, owner information, or company name.

WhoisFreaks has over 2,715 million historical records tracked so far. You can track the records back to 1986. That might be older than you are!

With all these query options, WhoisFreaks offers you the simplest and easiest way of doing Reverse WHOIS search with minimal effort.

Understanding WHOIS and Reverse WHOIS Lookup

Before diving into Reverse WHOIS, it's important to understand the WHOIS system. Every domain on the internet has a WHOIS record, which contains vital information about its ownership.

A WHOIS Lookup provides information such as:

• The registrant’s name
• The email address used for registration
• The company name of the registrant (if applicable)
• The registration and expiration dates
• The domain registrar and nameservers

This data is publicly accessible unless the domain owner has opted for WHOIS privacy protection, which masks certain details.

What is Reverse WHOIS Lookup?

Unlike a standard WHOIS lookup, which searches for information about one domain name, a Reverse WHOIS Lookup allows users to find all domains that share a common WHOIS detail, such as:

• A specific email address (in case you have the email address of the person/company who you might think is associated with the relevant domain).
• A registrant name (in case you have an individual's name whom you think might have purchased the website with their name)
• A company name (in case you are tracking a specific brand or company and other domain names relevant to them)

For example, if a cybersecurity researcher wants to find all domains registered by a known attacker, they can perform a Reverse WHOIS Lookup using the attacker’s email address.

This will return a list of all domains linked to that email, helping to identify other websites potentially involved in phishing campaigns, malware distribution, or fraudulent activities.

For example, in the attached Reverse WHOIS Lookup using Email, the tool showed 194 estimated records.

How Reverse WHOIS Lookup Works?

The process of Reverse WHOIS Lookup involves querying a WHOIS database with a specific search term. Here’s how it works:

• The user inputs a search term – This could be an email address, company name, or registrant name.

• The lookup tool scans the WHOIS database – The system searches for WHOIS records containing the search term.
• A list of matching WHOIS records is retrieved – The results show all domains associated with the inputted detail.

WHOIS reverse lookup for luciejtm93@gmail.com shows more than 190 records popping up in the results. This tool allows users to search data dating back to 1986, with over 2.7 billion WHOIS records in their database.

There are only 5 track records visible in the image above. However, you can click here to view a comprehensive list of records that popped up when the query was run.

• User analyzes the data – The collected information can help in cybersecurity investigations, market research, or legal actions.

Reverse WHOIS Lookup tools often use an API to fetch data from a WHOIS database in real-time. Some services allow users to access results for free, while others charge based on API credits or subscription plans.

Why Use Reverse WHOIS Lookup?

Reverse WHOIS Lookup is a powerful investigative tool that enables cybersecurity experts, businesses, and domain professionals to uncover domain ownership patterns and security risks.

Unlike a standard WHOIS lookup, which retrieves information about a single domain, a Reverse WHOIS search scans the WHOIS database for a specific email address, registrant name, or company name, revealing all domains linked to that identifier.

This allows for more advanced insights into threat detection, competitive intelligence, and brand protection.

For security teams, Reverse WHOIS helps track malicious domain registrations, exposing cybercriminal networks engaged in phishing, fraud, and malware distribution.

Businesses use it to analyze competitor activity, monitor domain portfolios, and detect unauthorized trademark usage. It is also essential for brand protection, helping companies identify impersonation attempts and cybersquatting threats.

By leveraging Reverse WHOIS Lookup tools and APIs, organizations can strengthen their security posture, enhance market research, and ensure effective domain management.

1. Cybersecurity & Threat Intelligence

Cybersecurity professionals use Reverse WHOIS to track down attackers and identify malicious domains.

Many cybercriminals register multiple web addresses using the same email address or company name. By performing this type of WHOIS Lookup, security analysts can:

• Identify all domain names linked to a known threat actor
• Monitor domains involved in phishing campaigns or fraud
• Detect fraudulent websites impersonating legitimate brands

2. Market Research & Competitive Analysis

Businesses often use WHOIS Lookup to conduct market research and competitive analysis. By searching for a competitor's company name, they can:

• Discover all domain names owned by the competitor
• Identify potential new product launches based on domain registrations
• Monitor brand usage and trademark violations

perform a reverse WHOIS company lookup for your competitor like the one performed below:

3. Brand Protection & Trademark Monitoring

Companies frequently perform Reverse WHOIS Lookups to protect their trademarks and brand identity. If a third party registers a web address similar to a well-known brand, businesses can take action by:

• Identifying who registered the domain
• Filing legal complaints or domain disputes
• Preventing potential fraud or impersonation attempts

4. Domain Portfolio Management

Organizations that own multiple domains use Reverse Lookup to track all domains registered under their name. This helps them:

• Keep an inventory of owned domains
• Monitor expiration dates and renewals
• Identify any unauthorized domain registrations

Reverse WHOIS API: Automating Domain Research

Many companies and cybersecurity teams use Reverse WHOIS APIs to automate the domain lookup process.

Key Features of a Reverse WHOIS API

• Search for domain names linked to an email, company, or name
• Retrieve up to 1,000 results per API call
• Fetch historical WHOIS data to see past domain ownership records
• Use API credits efficiently by only being charged for successful queries

How to Use a Reverse WHOIS API?

• Sign up for an API service that provides Reverse WHOIS lookups.
• Obtain API credentials to authenticate requests.
• Send API queries using search parameters like email address, company name, or registrant details.
• Fetch and analyze the returned data, which includes a list of domain names and ownership records.

Conclusion

Reverse WHOIS Lookup is an essential tool for cybersecurity, business intelligence, and network management.

• Reverse WHOIS Lookup helps identify domain names linked to an email, company, or person, making it invaluable for security investigations, competitor analysis, and brand protection.

By understanding and leveraging this technology, businesses, security professionals, and researchers can gain deeper insights into domain ownership and internet activity, helping them make informed decisions and improve security strategies.

FAQs

1. Who Owns the .com Domain?

No single person or company owns ".com" It is managed by VeriSign, a company that oversees all ".com" domain registrations. Anyone can register a ".com" domain through a domain registrar as long as the name is available.

2. Who Sets Up Reverse DNS?

Reverse DNS (rDNS) is usually set up by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) or hosting provider that controls the IP address. If you need rDNS for your server, you must request it from your ISP or hosting provider.

3. How to Reverse a DNS?

Reversing DNS means setting up Reverse DNS (rDNS), which links an IP address back to a domain name. This is done by creating a PTR (Pointer) record in the DNS settings of your IP address, usually managed by your ISP or hosting provider.

4. How to Configure a DNS Reverse Lookup Zone?

A DNS Reverse Lookup Zone is created to map IP addresses to domain names. To configure one:

• Open your DNS management tool (like Windows DNS Manager or a cloud DNS provider).
• Create a new reverse lookup zone using your IP address range.
• Add PTR (Pointer) records to link IP addresses to domain names.
• Save and apply the changes.

This helps with network security, troubleshooting, and email verification.

5. What is the Reverse DNS Method?

The Reverse DNS method is the process of finding the domain name associated with an IP address. This is done using PTR records in a special type of DNS lookup called reverse DNS lookup. It is mostly used for email validation, network security, and troubleshooting.