Password reset fraud — the quiet account takeover path
Why password-reset and email-change events need the same risk API as signup — and how to wire them without rewriting your auth stack.
By AbuseGraph Team
Reset is an authentication event
Attackers who cannot guess a password often abuse reset and email-change flows. If those endpoints are unprotected, your strong signup checks do not matter.
Treat reset like signup
Send password_reset / email_change (or your mapped event types) through the same /api/v1/check path:
- Same secret key
- Same score + verdict + reasons
- Same lists/rules
Your handler decides whether to send the reset email, require extra verification, or pause the change.
Session and email APIs help
Use email scoring when the only input is an address. Use session bind when a browser collect preceded the reset form. Keep the lifecycle explicit: collect → check → enforce.
Integration tip
Most auth platforms expose hooks or “before” callbacks around reset. Drop the check client there — the guides under /integrations show the pattern for common stacks.
Further reading
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Related reading
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Integrate account protection with Clerk, Auth0, Better Auth, and Firebase
One pattern for every auth stack: collect in the browser, check with a secret key in your hook, enforce the verdict before createSession / createUser.
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Email risk API for signup and invite flows
When you only have an email — scoring disposable domains, role accounts, and risky patterns before you send the invite.
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