Cyber vulnerabilities continue to increase. The “Vulnerability and Threat Trends Report 2024” revealed over 30,000 new vulnerabilities in 2024—a 17% increase. Furthermore, data predicts that the annual average cost of cybercrime will surpass $23 trillion by 2027.

Securing your domain name isn’t just about online identity protection—it’s about avoiding potentially devastating financial losses. In this guide, we’ll cover best practices for securing your domain name that are easy to implement and follow.

What Is Domain Name Security?

Domain name security is the practice of protecting your domain from threats such as hacking, fraud, and unauthorized access. It ensures that only trusted users can manage and control your domain. This way, you can prevent attackers from hijacking it or redirecting traffic.

Driving security for your domain name involves a few key steps: securing your domain registration, locking down access to your domain settings, and protecting the DNS system from manipulation. Email protection tools such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are important to ensure your emails can’taren’t spoofed.

In short, domain name security is about keeping your domain safe from attacks that can damage your brand—and cost your business.

Why Is It Important to Focus on Your Domain Name Security?

Picture this: You start your day only to find your website is down. Customers are being redirected to an unfamiliar page. You log into your domain account, hoping for answers. However, you discover that your domain is no longer yours. It’s been transferred, and now you don’t have an online identity.

What’sIt’s important to note that your website isn’t just offline—you’ve essentially lost years of brand-building, content creation, and customer trust. Worse yet, a compromised domain could give attackers control over your email and make sensitive business communications vulnerable.

In fact, recent statistics show a sharp increase in domain name disputes. From 2000 to 2024 (YTD), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has handled thousands of cases, emphasizing how important domain security is today:

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Without proper domain security, you risk an ongoing fight to reclaim control. The cost in time, money, and reputation can be immense. While these issues sound extreme, they’re more common than you might think. The good news is, with a few simple tips, you can prevent this from happening.

10 Tips for Enhancing Domain Name Security

For businesses, a domain name often doubles up as their online identity. With organizations facing about 7.5 domain name system (DNS) attacks every year and a successful DNS attack costing a staggering $1.1 million on average to recover, securing your domain is no longer optional.

Here are ten tips to ensure domain privacy and drive robust online identity protection:

Tip 1: Choose a Trusted Registrar

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Choosing a trusted domain registrar is one of the first steps to securing your online assets. With countless providers available, it’s essential to pick a registrar that prioritizes security. For instance, Crazy Domains offers essential features like registrar locking, which helps protect your domain from unauthorized transfers.

Let’s say you manage an e-commerce site. Without proper security measures in place, a cybercriminal could exploit a vulnerability and transfer your domain to another provider. This would lock you out of your website and emails, potentially bringing down your online store for days or even weeks.

In this scenario, you could lose customer trust, revenue, and a lot of hard-earned traffic—plus, rebuilding could take months.

When evaluating your registrar, ask yourself:

  • Is the registrar accredited by ICANN or another trusted body, ensuring they meet global security standards?
  • Does the registrar offer security features such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and registrar lock? These tools enhance your domain’s defence against unauthorized access.
  • And importantly, can you count on 24/7 customer support if an emergency arises?

To ensure you’re making a smart choice, follow these actionable tips:

  • Always choose a registrar with a proven track record of securing domains.
  • Use registrar locking and ensure features like 2FA are activated to safeguard your domain.
  • Regularly review your account settings and check for security alerts and warnings from your registrar.
  • Consider registering for longer terms to avoid accidental expiration.

Tip 2: Enable Registrar Lock

Registrar lock is one of the most effective defences against domain hijacking. When your domain is locked, it prevents unauthorized transfers to another registrar, which could otherwise result in your website being taken offline or redirected.

Without this lock, attackers could initiate a transfer request and steal control of your domain, effectively locking you out of your online identity.

Say you’re running a tech company and rely heavily on your website for lead generation and client communication. One day, you find out your domain has been transferred without your knowledge.

Your website is offline, and a competitor’s page greets customers. This could’ve been a reality if you hadn’t enabled the registrar lock. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to steal your domain and damage your reputation.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Is my domain registrar lock enabled by default, or do I need to manually activate it?
  • When making domain changes, do I fully understand when and why it’s necessary to temporarily unlock the domain, and how to securely re-lock it afterward?

Actionable tips:

  • Check the lock status in your registrar account and make sure it’s turned on.
  • Only unlock your domain when making essential updates (think: transferring ownership or making changes to DNS settings), and re-lock it immediately after.
  • Set up alerts for requests regarding your domain transfer to stay ahead of potential threats.
  • Consider automating the process to ensure your domain is always locked when not in use.

Tip 3: Use Strong, Unique Passwords

A strong password is the first line of defence when protecting your domain. Yet, many site owners still rely on weak or reused passwords, which makes their domains prime targets for cybercriminals. If your password is easy to guess or similar to others you’ve used, hackers can easily gain access to your registrar account and potentially hijack your domain.

Imagine you’re a startup owner and have been using the same weak password (something like ([yourname]@123) across multiple accounts, including your domain registrar and email.

One day, your email account is compromised due to a phishing attack. Since the same password was used for your registrar account, it’s an easy target for the hacker. Within minutes, your domain is transferred to another account, and your website goes offline. You end up denting customer trust and revenue—all because of a password!

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Is my password at least 12 characters long with a mix of numbers, symbols, and both uppercase and lowercase letters?
  • Have I reused this password on other accounts?

Actionable tips:

  • Use a password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden to generate and store complex, unique passwords.
  • Avoid using personal information like names or birthdates—focus on random combinations.
  • Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of protection.
  • Regularly change passwords if you’ve been notified of a breach.

Tip 4: Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

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Two-factor authentication (2FA) is one of the most effective ways to prevent unauthorized access, even if someone has cracked your password. By requiring an additional authentication step—such as a code sent to your phone or generated through an app—2FA strengthens your domain’s security.

Say your domain registrar account has a strong password, but you’re also using a shared device at work. An employee’s device gets compromised by malware, which captures the password.

Without 2FA, the attacker can easily log into your account and transfer your domain. With 2FA enabled, the attacker would also need access to your phone to complete the login, making it much harder for them to hijack your domain.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Is 2FA enabled for my domain registrar and associated email accounts?
  • Am I relying on app-based 2FA or just email-based codes, which can be intercepted?

Actionable tips:

  • Opt for an authenticator app (Google Authenticator or Authy) instead of email-based 2FA.
  • Enable 2FA on your registrar account, email, and any associated services.
  • Store backup codes securely in case your phone is lost or unavailable.
  • Regularly verify that 2FA is active and functioning properly on all critical accounts.

Tip 5: Install an SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate secures communication between your website and its visitors. It ensures that data such as customer information, passwords, and payment details are encrypted. This way, attackers can intercept it easily.

Pro tip: Remember that without an SSL certificate, your website is marked as “Not Secure.” This can deter visitors and even harm your search engine rankings!

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Do I have an SSL certificate installed on my website, especially for pages that collect sensitive data?
  • Is my certificate correctly configured so that the URL shows “https” instead of just “http”?

Actionable tips:

  • Install an SSL certificate through your hosting provider or domain registrar if you haven’t already.
  • Check that your SSL certificate is configured correctly by visiting your site and ensuring that the padlock symbol appears in the browser’s address bar.
  • Set up reminders to renew your certificate before it expires to avoid security gaps.
  • Test your SSL certificate periodically with tools like SSL Labs to ensure it’s working properly and doesn’t have any vulnerabilities.

Tip 6: Enable Privacy Protection (WHOIS Protection)

WHOIS privacy protection keeps your personal contact details hidden from public records, preventing cybercriminals from accessing information like your email, phone number, and address. Without this protection, attackers could target you with phishing emails, spam, or worse.

Imagine this: You’re a small business owner who’s just launched your online store. You’ve worked hard to build your brand, but now, your email address, phone number, and home address are publicly listed because you didn’t enable WHOIS privacy protection.

A hacker sees this, and the next thing you know, you’re getting phishing emails trying to trick you into giving away your login details. This could lead to unauthorized access to your domain and even a hijacked website.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Have I activated WHOIS privacy protection for my domain, or is my contact info open to anyone who runs a WHOIS search?
  • Could my personal details be used by attackers for social engineering or phishing scams?

Actionable tips:

  • Make sure WHOIS privacy protection is enabled for your domain, so your contact information stays hidden from public databases. This simple step can protect you from attacks that target your personal data.
  • Review your WHOIS settings frequently. It’s easy to forget, but attackers could target you if your information becomes publicly visible due to an accidental lapse in privacy settings.
  • Weigh the cost of WHOIS protection against the risk of exposing your data. Many registrars offer this as a low-cost or even free feature.

Tip 7: Renew Your Domain Regularly

You’ve built a solid online presence for your business, and everything’s running smoothly. But then, your domain expires—maybe you forget to renew it or your payment method is outdated. In the worst-case scenario, a domain squatter swoops in, claiming your domain and potentially holding it hostage at a steep price.

The risk of losing your domain is very real, and it’s not something you want to take lightly. Setting up automatic renewals ensures that your domain stays under your control.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Is my domain set to automatically renew so I don’t risk missing the expiration date?
  • Have I updated my payment details, and are they linked to my current billing address?

Actionable tips:

  • Set your domain to auto-renew. It’s a simple step, but it ensures you never miss a renewal date and helps you avoid costly interruptions.
  • Register your domain for a longer term. Many registrars allow you to lock in rates for multiple years, giving you peace of mind and reducing the chances of forgetting to renew.
  • Regularly check and update your payment methods in your registrar account. This ensures that even if your credit card expires, you won’t be caught off guard when it’s time to renew.

Tip 8: Keep Your Contact Details Updated

Keeping your contact details current with your domain registrar might seem like a small task, but staying informed about your domain is vital.

Without up-to-date contact information, you may miss critical notifications such as security alerts, renewal reminders, and even emergency threats to your domain.

Consider a scenario where a security vulnerability is detected on your domain, and the registrar attempts to notify you. You won’t get this crucial alert if your contact details are outdated.

By the time you realize something’s wrong, the damage may already be done—your domain might have been hijacked. Needless to say, maintaining updated contact details ensures you’re always in the loop and can act quickly to protect your domain.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Are my contact details, including email, phone number, and address, current with my domain registrar?
  • Is my email secure enough for domain-related communication? Do I use a trusted, private email account?

Actionable tips:

  • Regularly check and update your contact details in your registrar account. This ensures that you won’t miss critical alerts.
  • Use a reliable, personal email address for domain-related communications. Avoid work emails tied to employees who may leave, which could result in a loss of control over your domain.
  • Enable email forwarding to a backup email address, in case your primary inbox gets compromised or you change email providers.

Tip 9: Be Aware of Phishing Scams

Phishing scams are a significant threat to domain security. These attacks often masquerade as legitimate communications from trusted sources, like your domain registrar or hosting provider, and attempt to steal your login credentials or financial information. Spotting these scams early can save you from devastating consequences.

Let’s assume you’ve received an email claiming to be from your registrar, stating that your domain will expire unless you urgently verify your payment details.

The email looks official, with logos and the right language, but clicking the link leads you to a fake login page. If you enter your information, attackers now have access to your domain and may attempt to hijack it.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Have I received any suspicious emails requesting my login credentials or payment information?
  • Do the email addresses and links in emails look legitimate? Can I spot the difference between a legitimate and a fake email?
  • Am I familiar with my registrar’s usual communication style?

Actionable tips:

  • Be cautious of unsolicited emails requesting sensitive information—always verify requests through official communication channels.
  • Look for unusual or misspellet sender email addresses before opening any email.
  • Hover over links to preview their destination before clicking on them.
  • Register misspellet variations of your brand name and related domains like .net, .org, and .info to prevent cybercriminals from hijacking them.
  • Never enter sensitive information via links in emails—always visit the registrar’s official website directly.
  • Report suspicious emails to your registrar or security team to prevent future phishing attempts.

Tip 10: Keep Your Domain Registrar Info Secure

Securing your domain registrar account is a key defence against unauthorized access. If attackers get hold of your login credentials, they could gain control of your domain and potentially disrupt your online presence. Keeping this information secure is just as important as securing your website itself.

With control over your domain, they could lock you out, change contact information, or even transfer your domain to another registrar.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Where and how do I store my domain registrar login details?
  • Have I shared login credentials with anyone outside my immediate team, and is that information secured?

Actionable tips:

  • Never share login details through email, text, or unsecured channels. Use password managers to securely share access.
  • Set up role-based access or delegated permissions with your registrar to limit access for team members and external partners.
  • Regularly audit your registrar account and review who has access—especially if there have been any staff changes.

Robust Domain Name Security Starts with Crazy Domains

Strong domain security is essential for protecting sensitive data—whether it’s customer information, financial records, or intellectual property. If your domain is unsecured, you’re opening the door to potential threats that could compromise the integrity of your business.

A compromised domain can also severely damage your company’s reputation, causing customers to lose trust and confidence. Cyberattacks often result in direct repair expenses and indirect costs, such as reputational damage, that can take years to recover from.

By partnering with a trusted registrar like Crazy Domains, you can ensure that your domain is enabled with the latest security features. Our security services, such as domain locking, SSL certificates, and WHOIS protection, will help you maintain a secure domain environment. Remember, investing in domain name security today protects your reputation and revenue tomorrow—so don’t leave it to chance.

FAQs

How can I secure my domain name?

To secure your domain:

  • Use a reliable registrar
  • Lock your domain and limit access by IP address to prevent unauthorized changes
  • Secure your account with strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA)
  • Install an SSL certificate for secure connections
  • Enable privacy protection to shield personal data
  • Regularly renew your domain and keep your contact information updated
  • Set up domain status notifications

What steps protect domain names?

Start with two-factor authentication for your registrar account to add an extra layer of security. Consider registrar lock to prevent unauthorized transfers, use privacy protection to hide your details, and monitor your domain for suspicious activity.

How can I check if my domain is secure?

Use tools like EasyDMARC’s Domain Scanner to assess your domain’s security and health quickly. Just enter your domain name to scan for potential issues in seconds.

How do I keep my domain name active?

Domain registrations typically last a year. Before they expire, renew them through your registrar’s website to avoid losing ownership. Some registrars also offer auto-renewal options for added convenience.

How can I keep my domain name private?

Enable Whois privacy protection through your registrar. Many registrars include this service for free, while others charge a small annual fee. It hides your personal information from public domain databases.

What makes a domain trusted?

Building a trusted domain involves ensuring email deliverability, avoiding spam triggers, and maintaining a good sender reputation. Consistent communication practices can help establish credibility.