Service abuse

We use the term "Abuse" to describe actions and activities considered a misuse of Internet access. Some common Internet activities that fall into this definition of abuse are:

• Allowing un-authorised users to access your Plusnet service
• Using Internet access to gain unlawful access to private computer systems or networks
• Breaching UK law in respect to copyright infringement or publication of materials that is libel or indecent or insulting
• Engaging in spamming
• Using Internet access to menace or harass others
• Using Internet access in a manner identified as unlawful by law enforcement or legal authorities
• Port scanning other people's computers/networks

This list is not definitive.

More information on what constitutes abuse is available in our Acceptable Use Policy.

Abuse reports can be sent in two different ways. If you are a customer then you should use the Help Assistant.

If you are not a Plusnet customer you won't have access to the Help Assistant, instead email abuse@plus.net

Either of these methods provides a safe, confidential method of reporting cases of abuse or potential vulnerability to us. Your report will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Please provide all information you report as clearly and concisely as possible, including appropriate URLs, firewall logs etc. This will help us complete our investigations much more quickly. We’ve also set out below some guidance on reporting certain types of service abuse.

Reporting email abuse and spamming

In order to investigate your report we must have the full headers of the spam email. Please send header information as plain text, in the body of your email, rather than as an attachment.

Reporting virus and port scanning

Your firewall may regularly report a number of potential security concerns.

Often, your firewall will simply block or otherwise deal with these and they do not need to be reported. Also some of the intrusion alerts you receive are actually valid responses from servers you are accessing online.

However, attempted hacks or evidence that someone is launching a denial of service attack against you should be reported.

When reporting to us please try and report each serious instance separately instead of forwarding us your full firewall log.

For more advice, see our guide to staying safe online or our firewall information.

Reporting website content

If you believe that a website held on our servers contains materials that may contravene copyright law or contains material that may be deemed to be obscene or otherwise illegal, please report this as set out above or, if the material is on the Plusnet Community, it can be reported in accordance with the Plusnet Community rules and/or terms of use.

Reporting security vulnerability

If you wish to report a potential security issue or vulnerability of our network please report this as set out above. Our Abuse Team will take immediate steps to investigate this.

To maintain the confidentiality of our security process and system and due to certain legal restrictions (such as data protection legislation) we are not able to provide detailed feedback on issues brought to our attention. So, unless we require additional information, we are unlikely to contact you back in person. However, this doesn't mean we are ignoring your report.

If you receive an email from us about abuse originating from your account there are a few things to bear in mind:

• If you are unsure what the problem is then contact us. A member of our Support Team will be able to help you.

• If you need details of the report (e.g. email headers from spam emails), please request this through Help Assistant, instead of replying to the email we sent you. This will speed things up for you.

• Remember, we want to get to the bottom of the problem and resolve it! If you have any questions then please get in touch, we'll be happy to work through the problem with you.

• Please treat any abuse cases seriously. If we see repeat offenders or see that people don't take action based on our emails we may have to take further action, to maintain the integrity of our network.