In today’s day and age, a website is a necessity to establish your personal or brand’s presence. Additionally, your web address or domain name reflects your brand’s personality, reputation, and credibility. While some domain names including .net, .com, and .org have garnered significant popularity, unfortunately, they have become a top target for cybercriminals who are looking for security vulnerabilities for monetary gains. One such vulnerability is domain hijacking; a serious threat that can have devastating repercussions if not addressed at the right time.  Â
This article explores domain name hijacking and how you can prevent it to secure your online presence. Â
What is Domain Hijacking?
 As the name suggests, domain hijacking, also known as domain theft, is the act of gaining unauthorised control over a domain name without the owner’s permission. Apart from losing control, cybercriminals also abuse the privileges associated with domain registrar and domain hosting systems. Â
Impact of Domain HijackingÂ
The consequences of domain hijacking include traffic rerouting to facilitate phishing scams, misuse of email addresses to deliver spam emails and domain reselling. Let us explore these in detail. Â
Financial Loss
Many businesses, particularly in the SaaS and e-commerce space depend on their site’s wellbeing including to generate revenue. They could potentially lose millions of dollars if their domain is hijacked. As of now, around 8,000 domains and 13,000 subdomains of legitimate brands and businesses have been hijacked, making it one of the most prevalent cybersecurity challenges for online businesses worldwide. Â
Dented Reputation
 Domain theft or hijacking can harm a business’s reputation as hijackers have complete control over a domain’s email accounts which they can use to launch malware and social engineering attacks. Â
Regulatory Implications
 Domain hijackers can replace an authentic or genuine web page with an identical page to capture sensitive customer data and personally identifiable information (PII) including account numbers, contact details, personal information, etc. Â
Types of Domain HijackingÂ
This section highlights some of the most prevalent types of domain hijacking worldwide. Â
Social EngineeringÂ
Social engineering techniques trick website administrators or owners into disclosing domain registrar login credentials or downloading keyloggers, which enable hackers to obtain passwords discreetly.Â
Expired Domain RegistrationsÂ
 Expired domain registrations that are eventually lawfully registered to third parties accounts. For example, hijackers can take control of a website after its registration has elapsed and use it to redirect online traffic to an IP address plagued with malware. Â
6 Best Practices: Preventing from Domain Hijacking
Now onto the crux of the matter; how to prevent domain name hijacking. Â
1. Pick a Reputed and Reliable Registrar
 While budget is one of the crucial factors during website development, it is important to choose a reputed and reliable domain registrar even if you that means overstepping your budget a little. It is essential to look beyond the privacy and the costs associated with domain registration while picking a domain registrar and prioritise the registrar’s security features. Â
 Some of the key features you must look for include two-factor authentication and multi-factor authentication, 24/7 customer support, and the option to manage DNS records from the registrar’s control panel. Â
2. Set a Strong Password
We are constantly prompted to set a strong password by banks, e-commerce websites, investment platforms, and email services, and for good reasons. Gone are the days when your date of birth, pet name, and simple passwords like 123456 were safe to use. It is a clever idea to stay clear of passwords that are easily guessable while creating a domain registrar account, making it difficult for hijackers to breach your security. Â
 3. WHOIS Privacy Protection
 It is important to understand that fraudsters or cyber criminals use WHOIS database information while identifying potential websites that are easy targets for domain hijacking. The WHOIS database contains all essential information related to a website, its owners, and contact details. Â
Therefore, it is always a good idea to add an extra layer of security by using WHOIS privacy protection. The best part here is that top-rated registrars offer it for free or at a very nominal cost. Â
4. Update Your Contact Details
 One of the most underrated and overlooked domain hijacking prevention techniques is updating your contact details periodically. Outdated information or incorrect contact details give enough time for hijackers to breach your registrar account. Additionally, your domain registrar may not be able to contact you in case they detect suspicious activities if you have not updated your contact details. Â
5. Look Out for Phishing Scams
 Emails impersonating communication from ICANN or your domain registrar is frequently employed in domain phishing scams (which result in domain hijacking). Threat actors are growing increasingly skilled and selective in their email crimes, frequently using advanced techniques like cloning phishing to imitate these reliable institutions. There is a lower risk of being a victim if one is aware of the frequency of phishing and the strategies employed by cybercriminals.Â
6. Keep Track of Who Can Access Login Details
 The back end of a company’s website must be accessible to a wide range of stakeholders, either for marketing campaigns, load balancing, IT administration, or developing requirements. These stakeholders occasionally request access to the domain registrar platform to make changes, but doing so is typically discouraged. Remember the principle of least privilege and refrain from sharing this account’s login information needlessly. Â
Final Words
With an increasing number of cybercrimes being reported each year, you have little option but to stay vigilant and safeguard your domain from a lethal domain hijacking attack. However, it is important to understand what you are protecting yourself from and the potential repercussions of failing to act. The ball is now in your court and invest in robust security features to protect you from domain theft.Â
What Is Domain Hijacking? How To Prevent It? – FAQ’sÂ
How Did Someone Steal My Domain? Â
If someone has stolen your domain, there is a high chance you are a victim of domain hijacking typically carried out via social engineering, phishing, malware attacks, and more. Â
Should I Pay to Protect My Domain Name from Domain Hijacking?Â
While most domain registrars offer domain protection in their plans, you may need to pay a nominal fee to protect your domain name from getting hijacked. Â
How Does Domain Hijacking Affect Domain Name Portfolio?Â
Domain hijacking can severely affect your domain name portfolio in many ways including financial damage, data breaches, reputational damage, and loss of trust, among others.Â