Reporting Period
March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2026
Introduction
This report provides a summary of abuse related complaint activity recorded by NiceNIC during March 2026. It is intended to present the complaint volume, category distribution, response timing, and domain status outcomes for the month in a clear and factual manner.
The purpose of this report is to improve transparency around abuse handling activity and to provide a straightforward monthly view of the cases recorded during the reporting period.
Monthly Overview
During March 2026, NiceNIC recorded a total of 33,827 complaints involving 14,935 domains.
The average response time for the month was 1.7 days.
A total of 12,880 domains were paused during the reporting period, representing a pause rate of 86.24%.
A total of 344 domains were recovered during the month, with a recovery rate of 2.67%.
Complaint Categories
The complaint categories recorded in March 2026 were as follows:
1. Phishing
21,134 cases
62.48% of total complaints
Phishing remains the dominant abuse vector, consistent with global DNS abuse trends. NiceNIC continues to prioritize rapid investigation and suspension actions for confirmed phishing activity.
2. Other
5,689 cases
16.82%
3. Trademark Infringement
2,516 cases
7.44%
Trademark related disputes remain the second largest complaint category. These cases are evaluated carefully to distinguish between DNS abuse and civil intellectual property disputes.
4. Fraud
2,235 cases
6.61%
Fraud cases include scam related activity and deceptive schemes not strictly classified as phishing.
5. Drugs
1,957 cases
5.79%
This category primarily involves unlawful online pharmaceutical sales and restricted substance promotion.
6. Malware
231 cases
0.68%
7. Spam
26 cases
0.08%
Spam is reviewed under abuse vector standards when it facilitates phishing, malware distribution, or botnet activity.
8. CSAM
17 cases
0.05%
9. Pharming
14 cases
0.04%
10. Botnet
8 cases
0.02%
All high severity categories such as phishing, botnet, malware, pharming, and CSAM are subject to strict escalation procedures and immediate mitigation protocols.
Operational Summary
March 2026 was defined primarily by phishing related complaints. Of the 33,827 complaints recorded during the month, 21,134 were classified as phishing, accounting for 62.48 percent of the total. In practical terms, nearly two out of every three complaints received in March fell into this single category. This makes phishing the central operational issue reflected in the month's dataset.
The complaint structure was also highly concentrated. Five categories only, Phishing, Other, Trademark, Fraud, and Drugs, accounted for 99.14% of all complaints recorded during the reporting period. All remaining categories combined, including Malware, Spam, CSAM, Pharming, and Botnet, represented less than 1% of the monthly total. This means March was not characterized by evenly distributed complaint activity across many abuse types. Instead, the complaint volume was concentrated in a small number of categories, with phishing clearly dominating the overall case flow.
The response time data provides a separate operational indicator. The average response time recorded for March was 1.7 days. While individual cases may vary in complexity, this figure shows that response activity was moving on a rolling basis throughout the month even under a high complaint volume environment.
Taken together, the March 2026 data presents a clear monthly picture. The complaint load was dominated by phishing, concentrated in a limited number of categories, and associated with repeated complaint activity across part of the affected domain set. The recorded outcome profile for the month was driven primarily by domain pausing, while domain recovery represented a smaller portion of the total operational result.
Operational and Compliance Perspective
- Evidence based evaluation
- Abuse source validation
- Registrant notification
- Remediation opportunity
- Escalation when required
Clear record keeping for legal and regulatory review
We actively cooperate with global threat intelligence providers and continue enhancing our internal monitoring systems to detect malicious registrations earlier in the lifecycle.
Industry Context
Phishing accounting for over sixty percent of complaints aligns with global DNS abuse statistics reported by multiple industry monitoring organizations. The data reinforces the need for registrars to maintain robust abuse detection and response frameworks.
NiceNIC continues investing in automation, structured reporting systems, and compliance training to ensure abuse mitigation evolves alongside emerging threat patterns.
Closing Note
NiceNIC continues to record and review abuse related complaints as part of its monthly operational process. This report is intended to provide a factual summary of March 2026 activity and to support greater visibility into the categories, volume, and outcomes of complaints received during the month.
As the domain ecosystem continues to evolve, NiceNIC remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of the DNS and maintaining trust for registrants, partners, and the global internet community.
We welcome the attention, feedback, and supervision from our customers and the broader public, as transparency and accountability are essential to building a safer and more trustworthy domain environment.
