Network and service abuse

Abuse Policy

Sheridan Internet aims to run a clean, responsible network. This page explains what we consider abuse, how to report it, and what information helps us investigate quickly.

Report abuse

Send reports with logs, headers, URLs or other evidence where possible.

abuse@sheridaninternet.co.uk
Every Sheridan Internet customer agrees to comply with our terms and conditions. We investigate reports of abuse connected to our network or services.

What counts as abuse?

Abuse includes activity that misuses internet services, harms others, breaches our terms, or causes security, mail, hosting or network problems.

Spam and email abuse

Unsolicited bulk email, forged headers, phishing messages and misuse of mail services.

Hacking attempts

Port scanning, attempted compromise, brute-force activity and other unauthorised access attempts.

Phishing

Sites, emails or content designed to steal logins, payment details or other sensitive information.

Web space abuse

Hosted content or activity that breaches our terms, causes harm, or is unlawful.

How to report abuse

Please email abuse reports to abuse@sheridaninternet.co.uk. Include as much information as possible so we can identify the issue and investigate it properly.

Email abuse report

The more information you provide, the faster we can investigate. Where relevant, please include:

  • The type of abuse you are reporting.
  • The affected domain, URL, IP address or email address.
  • The date, time and time zone of the activity.
  • Full log entries or firewall logs, not edited screenshots where possible.
  • Full email headers for spam, phishing or email abuse reports.
  • URLs for web space abuse or hosted content reports.
  • A short explanation of what happened and why you believe it is abuse.

If your report is based on firewall, IDS, web server or application logs, please include the relevant unedited log entries or excerpts.

Please ensure the report includes:

  • The source IP address.
  • The destination IP address or service, where appropriate.
  • The time, date and time zone.
  • Your URL or hostname, if relevant.
  • Details of the activity seen, such as scanning, brute-force attempts or exploit attempts.

Clear log data helps us identify whether the activity originated from our network or a service under our control.

Please send the full headers and content of the relevant email or message. Headers allow us to trace the route a message took and identify where it originated.

For email abuse, please include:

  • The full message headers.
  • The full message body.
  • Any relevant attachments, if safe and appropriate.
  • The date and time you received the message.
  • Any bounce-back or delivery error you received.
Do not click links in suspected phishing emails. Forward the message with headers where possible.

The exact steps depend on your email client. In most modern email clients, look for an option such as View source, Show original, View headers or Message source.

Microsoft Outlook

  1. Open the message.
  2. Open the message options or properties.
  3. Find the Internet headers section.
  4. Copy the full headers.
  5. Forward the message to us and paste the headers at the top.

Other email clients

  1. Look for Show original, View source or Message source.
  2. Copy the full headers and message source where possible.
  3. Include them in your report to abuse@sheridaninternet.co.uk.

If you are unsure how to retrieve headers, send what you have and explain which email client you are using.

If you have received or been infected by a virus, worm, Trojan or other malware, please note that we cannot provide support to clean or repair third-party systems.

We recommend that affected users install reputable anti-virus or endpoint protection software and keep it updated.

When reporting malware activity, please include:

  • The full email headers, if the malware arrived by email.
  • The content of the email.
  • The attachment you received, if safe and appropriate to provide.
  • Any logs, URLs or details showing where the malware came from.

You may need to include suspicious files in an archived file such as a .zip file. If you cannot attach the file safely, please send the message and headers only.

If you become aware of web space hosted by Sheridan Internet that you believe breaches our terms and conditions, please email us with the details.

Please include:

  • The URL involved.
  • The time and date you noticed the issue.
  • How you came to view the material.
  • A clear description of why you believe the material is in breach.
  • Any screenshots, logs or supporting information, where appropriate.

In line with industry practice, we report illegal activity to the police or other relevant authorities where appropriate.

We also work with appropriate bodies to ensure illegal child abuse material is removed and reported as quickly as possible.

Customers must comply with our terms.

By signing up for Sheridan Internet services, customers agree to be bound by our terms and conditions. Abuse reports are investigated and appropriate action is taken where required.

View terms