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FAQs for abuse-c

FAQs related to the abuse-c attribute
Show or Hide answer How do I change the email address being used to report abuse for my resources?

The abuse email address is contained in the "abuse-mailbox:" attribute in a role object. It is this role object that is referenced by the "abuse-c:" attribute in the organisation object. That means in order to change the email address used, you need to change the relevant role object containing the "abuse-mailbox:" attribute.

Both RIPE NCC members and PI or ASN resource holders can update the "abuse-mailbox:" attribute in the relevant role object using the Webupdates tool.

1. Look up your organisation object in the RIPE Database
2. Check which role object has been created for you in the "abuse-c:" attribute. Note the NIC handle of this role account.
3. Go to the Webupdates tool
4. Search for: NIC Handle role object > object type: role > click on search
5. Edit the email address in the "abuse-mailbox:" attribute
6. Click edit and your abuse contact has now been changed

Show or Hide answer How do I set abuse-c for an assignment (PA) created out of my resources?

If you have delegated responsibility for handling abuse to a customer for the part of your network they use, they need a similar set-up to your own. Either you can set this up for them, if you maintain all the RIPE Database objects, or they can partly set it up themselves. However, in most cases, you will maintain the inet(6)num assignment objects, so you will have to add the organisation reference to these objects.

You first need a role object for the customer and it must contain an "abuse-mailbox:" attribute. If the customer already has one, you can use that one. Otherwise, you will need to create a new one. This role object does not need to reference any person objects. It will be public with no query limits, so all information it contains is assumed to be business data, not personal or private data.


When creating a new organisation object with "org-type: OTHER" or editing an existing one using Webupdates, you will be able to search for an existing abuse role account in the "abuse-c:" attribute, or create a new one seamlessly.

Finally, reference this organisation object in the customer's assignment object(s). Any query for the customer's IP address(es) will now return their abuse contact details instead of the contact details you set up for the parent allocation.

Show or Hide answer How can I see what email address is currently being used to report abuse for the resources I hold?

You can find abuse contact information by querying the RIPE Database directly. The contact information will show up in the query result as a comment before the resource object. You can learn more about finding abuse contact information on the Abuse Information page.

Show or Hide answer How do I change my "abuse-c:" attribute to reference a different role object?

Note: You do not need to update the "abuse-c:" attribute in order to update the email address used for your abuse contact. To change the email address, you simply need to update the role object. See this FAQ about how to do that.

However, you might wish to change the "abuse-c:" attribute itself. For example, you might want to change the role object that your "abuse-c:" references. Please ensure you do the following when updating your "abuse-c:" attribute:

RIPE NCC members:

  • Make sure you have set up the default maintainer for your LIR
  • Update your organisation object using any RIPE Database update method you prefer

PI assignments, ASNs and PA created out of your allocation:

  • Search for your organisation in the Webupdates tool
  • Update the referenced role object in the "abuse-c:" attribute
Show or Hide answer How do I set abuse-c for my PI space or ASN?

The abuse email address is contained in the "abuse-mailbox:" attribute in a role object. It is this role object that is referenced by the "abuse-c:" attribute in the organisation object. This has to be done for all the organisation objects linked to the resources you manage.

First make sure you have created an organsiation object for the assignment and that it is also referenced in the assignment itself.

To update your organisation with an abuse contact:

  • Go to the RIPE Database Query page and search for your organisation object
  • Click Update beside the object
  • In webupdates, find the "abuse-c:" attribute and enter a value
    • If you have an existing role object with an abuse-mailbox, enter the nic-hdl of the role
    • If you do not have an existing role object, enter an email address (an abuse-c role will be created for you)
Show or Hide answer How do I set abuse-c directly to my resources?
You will need to create a ROLE object with your abuse contact email address in the "abuse-mailbox:" attribute. Now reference the ROLE object in the “abuse-c:” to the inetnum, inet6num and aut-num object.

You can have an “abuse-c:” attribute on both your ORGANISATION object AND your RESOURCE object (inetnum, inet6num and aut-num). The “abuse-c:” reference on applicable RESOURCE objects will override the value in the “abuse-c:” of your ORGANISATION object. This means that, when querying an Internet resource in the RIPE Database, it will show the abuse contact registered in your RESOURCE object.
Created: 18 Dec 2013 - Last updated: 30 Sep 2016 —