How to Protect a Domain from Theft

Domain theft is a relatively common occurrence among cybercriminals. This misdeed is particularly distressing for large companies and brands because the domain is an essential component of a company’s marketing activities and plays a crucial role in digital promotion. That’s why it’s important not to neglect preventive security measures, as it’s much easier than trying to recover the “stolen” domain later. Today, we will dive deeper into the concept of a domain and explore the main methods of securing it.

The Importance of a Domain for Companies

A domain name is the address of a website, its name, through which a search engine finds it when a user makes a query.

Typically, the domain matches the name of the company that owns it. It’s important to note that each such virtual name is unique. A domain name consists of the site name and the domain zone (such as com, net, ua, etc.). Domains were created for user convenience, eliminating the need to enter the full IP address of a web page every time.

A site name has little impact on the web resource’s functionality. Its feature and importance lie in the fact that the domain is a powerful marketing tool.

It subconsciously influences the site’s users and clients. The domain can also be considered an important part of branding and naming, so when choosing one, it’s best to look for an option that’s both simple and memorable.

The Domain Registration Process

Understanding the domain name registration process will help you grasp how they are stolen. To create a domain, you need to find a registrar site and create an account on it. It’s advisable to come up with a name for your web resource in advance and then enter it into the service’s search. After verification, you will see a notification indicating whether your option is taken or available. If it’s still available, you must pay for it. Domains are not bought forever but for a specific period, after which the registration of the domain name can be renewed.

How Does Domain Theft Occur?

The most popular method of domain name theft is hacking the owner’s email. The fraudsters then find an email from the registrar, log into the account, and change the passwords. If there is no such email, the criminals submit a password recovery request.

All this is done to eventually resell the domain back to the legitimate owner or sell it to the first willing buyer at an unreasonably high price. Extortion also occurs, and sometimes it is more beneficial for a company to accept the fraudsters’ offer.

With the help of stolen domain names, criminals can engage in financial fraud, sell substandard goods or services, spread viruses, or negatively impact the company’s reputation in other ways.

There are also other domain-related activities that damage public opinion about the brand or enterprise but are not considered outright theft. For example, fraudsters may acquire similar-sounding domains for companies that have not yet addressed this issue. Criminals might also create domain names that closely resemble the popular brand’s web name (for example, www.rebok.com instead of www.reebok.com).

Best Ways to Protect Your Domain from Theft

If you cannot secure your domain from theft properly, the recovery process can be lengthy and tedious, or you might have to negotiate with fraudsters. Below are methods that can help you avoid all these unpleasant processes.

Two-Factor Authentication

This tool is often used to protect social networks, emails, and other services (for example, in banks). This method is completely free and simple to connect.

The essence of two-step authentication is that even with a login and password, you will receive a call or SMS, which you can use to confirm your login to the system. Such authorization can be set up immediately when purchasing a domain with the registrar site.

Data Protection

Some registrar services offer a data hiding feature. This is a paid tool, but the price is quite small.

There are free services like Whois, through which you can find out the information that fraudsters could use to hack your email. With data hiding, only the registrar’s email will be visible, but criminals cannot use it to steal your domain.

Also, do not publicly display the email used to register the domain name. It’s better to provide a new email address as contact information for clients.

Use Real Data

When creating a domain, do not fear to use the actual data of the person for whom you are registering the address. This information will not be shared with outsiders. Provide up-to-date contact information, as all important notifications or calls will be sent to it.

If you registered a domain in a fictitious person’s name, it will be difficult to reclaim your address because you first need to confirm your ownership right to it. This practice is one of the most basic rules to protect your domain and company from fraudsters.

Reliable Registrar

Give preference to proven registrars who have been in the market for a long time. Pay attention to reviews and make sure the positive ones are not written by bots.

The provider’s support should also be available 24/7, with several contact options: phone, email, Telegram, or other messengers.

Domain Name Renewal

Sometimes companies forget to renew their domains. Besides theft, such negligence can also lead to additional recovery fees. Remember, web names can be paid for several years in advance.