| Domain hijacking is a cyberattack where a malicious actor gains unauthorised control of your domain name. Here, they get access to the domain owner’s email, website, and other services associated with this domain. |
Studies show that in 2024, around 800,000 domains were found vulnerable and out of those, 70,000 were hijacked.
It also exposed them to severe consequences, like financial loss, reputational damage, and being implicated in illegal activities, such as phishing scams or spreading malware. This is why it is important to associate with practices that help ensure DNS safety.
In this blog, we will take you through key strategies that you should follow to prevent domain hijacking and keep your brand safe.
8 Ways to Ensure Domain Hijacking Protection
Stolen domains are one of the biggest challenges faced by domain owners. It has financial and legal implications, SEO risks, brand damage, loss of trust, website and email downtime, and loss of control over DNS and subdomains.
Select a Reputable Registrar
One of the best ways to ensure DNS safety is to select a registrar that offers advanced security features, such as two-factor and multi-factor authentication, to protect your domain from compromised login credentials.
Also, ensure that the registrar you choose offers a 24-hour customer care team. Â This is because, in the event of a domain hijacking incident, an active customer support team will be able to assist you in recovering it immediately, preventing your organisation from suffering significant damage.
Lastly, you should have the ability to manage your DNS records directly from the registrar’s control panel to ensure quick recovery in case of stolen domain incidents.
| Pro Tip: Hide your personal information on WHOIS and protect against domain theft, spam emails, and calls with the help of the Domain Guard. |
Have Strong Credentials
When it comes to domain hijacking protection, one key practice to follow is using passwords that are not easily guessable, but rather complex and difficult to guess correctly.
This means that to take control of your domain, attackers will have to force their way in; in this case, two-factor and multi-factor authentication will help protect your domain.
Activate Domain Locking
Depending on the registrar you have chosen, you should have the setting known as registry lock or domain locking. Upon activating this setting, you will be blocking unauthorised transfers or changes to your domain, thereby ensuring domain security.
Use WHOIS Privacy Protection
In the event of domain hijacking protection, you should utilise the privacy protection offered by WHOIS.
With this feature, you will need to pay an additional fee to limit your domain’s data exposure and prevent hackers from finding your email address to target your domain.
Basically, your domain’s information will be hidden from the WHOIS database.
| Also Read:Â How to Install an SSL Certificate? A Simplified Guide |
Regularly Update Your Contact Details
To prevent issues with stolen domains, a common yet overlooked practice is regularly updating your contact details. If your contact information is not current, attackers will have more time to cause harm to your domain once they gain access to your registrar account.
On the other hand, if your contact details are up to date, the registrar will be able to contact you immediately in the event of an attack or suspicious activity. This will allow you to take the necessary corrective measures.
Have Separate Web Hosting and Domain Accounts
When it comes to domain hijacking protection, it is recommended to follow a strategy of having separate web hosting and domain accounts.
In the event of an attack, even if one of your accounts is compromised by malicious activity, your other account will remain protected and safe. This reduces the losses and damage associated with having a stolen domain.
Register and Renew for the Maximum Allowable Period
DNS safety often gets compromised during periods of expired domain registrations. This means that you need to register and renew your domains for the maximum allowed time.
This will help you avoid situations where attackers find valuable domain names that have expired and quickly re-register them, thereby seizing control over those domains. Thus, by following this strategy, you can strengthen domain hijacking protection.
| Also Read:Â A Beginner’s Guide on How to Renew a Domain |
Do Not Share Login Credentials
While it is common for a company’s stakeholders to want login credentials of your domain for purposes like development, load balancing, IT admin, or marketing campaigns, avoid sharing these credentials unnecessarily or excessively.
This will limit the number of people who can make changes to your domain, reduce the chances of stolen credentials, and improve domain security.
Improve Domain Hijacking Protection for Safety in 2025
Domain hijacking protection is essential in these times, as it helps ensure that you maintain control over your domains, thereby maintaining domain security. With a secure domain, you will have a reputable brand that is trusted by your customers, thereby keeping your business on the path to success. To continue with this, it is essential to follow the domain hijacking prevention strategies discussed above.
If you want your business and passion to reach their full potential, then choose a reliable domain host like Crazy Domains. We offer Domain Guard to protect against attacks, affordable domain renewal and transfer, and domain backordering.
For more, contact the team now!