Netcraft
British internet services company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Netcraft is an Internet services company based in London, England. The company provides cybercrime disruption services across a range of industries.
 | This article contains promotional content. (April 2025) |
 | |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 1994 1987-09-04 (incorporation)[1] |
| Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) | Mike Prettejohn |
| CEO | Ryan Woodley |
| Services | Cybercrime Disruption Internet Data Mining PCI Security Scanning & Web Application Security Testing |
| URL | www |
History
Summarize
Perspective
Netcraft was founded by Mike Prettejohn in Bath, Somerset.[2] The company provides web server and web hosting market-share analysis, including web server and operating system detection. In some cases, depending on the queried server's operating system, their service is able to monitor uptimes;[3] uptime performance monitoring is a commonly used factor in determining the reliability of a web hosting provider.[4][5]
The company is also known for its free anti-phishing toolbar for the Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome browsers. Starting with version 9.5, the built-in anti-phishing filter in the Opera browser uses the same data as Netcraft's toolbar, eliminating the need for a separately installed toolbar. A study commissioned by Microsoft concluded that Netcraft's toolbar was among the most effective tools to combat phishing on the Internet, although this has since been superseded by Microsoft's own Internet Explorer 7 with Microsoft Phishing Filter,[6] possibly as a result of licensing Netcraft's data.[7] The service can only process public IPv4 servers at the exclusion of IPv6. The browser extensions will display security information for a domain's IPv4 servers even when the user is connected to a different server over IPv6.[8]
In November 2016, Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced plans for the UK government to work with Netcraft to develop better automatic defences to reduce the impact of cyber-attacks affecting the UK.[9] As of 2022, Netcraft operated the UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre malicious website takedown service.[10]
In 2023, Netcraft secured growth investment of $100 million from Spectrum Equity Management and appointed a new chief executive, Ryan Woodley. It also moved its headquarters from Bath to London.[2][11] In September 2023, Netcraft announced the acquisition of Australian internet security analysts FraudWatch International, who have 70 staff.[12]
In 2024, Netcraft released its innovative approach to combating online fraud. By leveraging its AI platform, Netcraft creates decoys to lure scammers, allowing it to monitor and analyze their tactics in real-time. This method enhances their ability to detect and counteract fraudulent activities, improving online security and safeguarding users.[13]
See also
- List of most-visited websites
- Search engine optimization metrics
- DShield, Cybercrime analytics
- WOT Services, community of volunteer users ranking website reputation
References
External links
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