In the digital age, your domain name is a critical part of your online presence and brand identity. Losing control of your domain through domain hijacking can have disastrous consequences, from losing your website to falling prey to cybercriminals who can misuse your domain. Fortunately, there are several strategies you can implement to safeguard your domain from hijacking attempts and protect your brand’s reputation.

In this guide, we’ll explore what domain hijacking is, how it happens, and the best practices to prevent it through domain locking, secure registrars, and the implementation of DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions).

What is Domain Hijacking?

Domain hijacking occurs when an attacker gains unauthorized control of a domain name, typically through manipulating domain registration details. This can lead to the attacker redirecting your website’s traffic, stealing sensitive customer data, or holding the domain for ransom. It’s a severe threat that can damage your brand’s reputation, cause financial losses, and interrupt your website’s operations.

Domain hijacking usually happens in several ways:

• Phishing or Social Engineering: Attackers trick domain owners or registrar employees into revealing login credentials or other sensitive information.
• Exploiting Security Weaknesses: Weak or easily guessable passwords, unprotected accounts, and lax domain transfer policies make it easier for attackers to steal domain access.
• Domain Expiration: If you fail to renew your domain on time, attackers may swoop in and register it for themselves.

How to Prevent Domain Hijacking

Preventing domain hijacking requires a proactive approach and multiple layers of security. Below are the most effective strategies you can implement to protect your domain and safeguard your brand.

1. Enable Domain Locking

Domain locking is one of the most effective ways to prevent unauthorized transfers of your domain. A locked domain cannot be transferred to another registrar or modified without your explicit approval.

What is domain locking?

• Domain locking adds a security measure that requires domain owners to unlock their domain before any changes, such as transfers or DNS updates, can be made.
• It protects against accidental changes, hijacking attempts, and unauthorized transfers initiated by attackers.

How to enable domain locking:

• Most domain registrars offer domain locking as a feature in their control panels. You can typically enable it through your registrar’s dashboard.
• If your domain is locked, attempts to transfer the domain without your consent will be denied.

Pro Tip: Periodically check that your domain is locked, especially if you’re managing multiple domains.

2. Choose a Reputable Domain Registrar

Not all domain registrars offer the same level of security. To protect your domain from hijacking, it’s essential to choose a registrar that prioritizes security and offers robust features to help you safeguard your domain.

What to look for in a secure registrar:

• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Ensure that your registrar provides 2FA for account access, adding an extra layer of security.
• Registrar Lock: A good registrar will offer domain locking as a standard feature to prevent unauthorized domain transfers.
• Account Activity Monitoring: Registrars that offer account activity logs can help you detect unusual or unauthorized access attempts early.

Recommended secure registrars:

• Google Domains: Offers domain locking, 2FA, and DNSSEC support.
• Namecheap: Known for its security features, including domain privacy, 2FA, and domain locking.
• GoDaddy: Provides comprehensive domain protection plans, including 2FA, domain locking, and DNSSEC.

3. Use Strong Passwords and Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Weak or reused passwords are one of the most common ways attackers gain access to domain accounts. Implementing strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) adds critical layers of security to prevent unauthorized access to your domain.

How to improve password security:

• Use a password manager to generate and store complex, unique passwords for your domain accounts.
• Avoid using easily guessable information like birthdays, names, or simple patterns.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your domain registrar account, requiring a second form of verification (such as a code sent to your phone) before access is granted.

By enabling 2FA, even if someone manages to obtain your password, they will need your second verification step (such as a mobile code) to gain access.

4. Implement DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions)

DNSSEC adds an additional layer of security to your domain by ensuring that DNS queries are authenticated. This helps prevent attacks like DNS spoofing or cache poisoning, where attackers redirect users to malicious sites by tampering with DNS records.

How DNSSEC works:

• DNSSEC provides cryptographic signatures that ensure DNS records have not been altered or forged.
• When someone types your domain into their browser, DNSSEC verifies that the response comes from your legitimate DNS server and hasn’t been modified by an attacker.

How to enable DNSSEC:

• Contact your domain registrar or hosting provider to enable DNSSEC for your domain. Many registrars, such as Google Domains and Namecheap, offer DNSSEC as an included feature.

Pro Tip: After enabling DNSSEC, regularly monitor your DNS settings for any unexpected changes.

5. Enable Domain Privacy Protection

Domain privacy protection prevents your personal information—such as your name, address, and phone number—from being visible in public WHOIS records. Without domain privacy, attackers can easily look up your contact details and use them for phishing attacks or social engineering attempts to gain access to your domain.

How to enable domain privacy:

• Most domain registrars offer WHOIS privacy protection as an optional service. You can usually enable it during the registration process or through your account dashboard.
• Registrars like Google Domains and Namecheap include domain privacy protection for free with domain registration.

By keeping your personal contact details private, you reduce the risk of being targeted by attackers who use publicly available information to initiate phishing attacks.

6. Monitor Domain Expiration and Renewals

One of the easiest ways for attackers to hijack a domain is to wait for it to expire and then register it themselves. To prevent this, ensure that your domain is always renewed on time.

Best practices for managing domain renewals:

• Enable auto-renewal for your domain to ensure it doesn’t accidentally expire.
• Use your registrar’s tools to set up reminders for upcoming renewals.
• Consider registering your domain for multiple years at a time to minimize the risk of expiration.

Pro Tip: If your domain expires, most registrars offer a grace period during which you can reclaim it. However, it’s best to avoid reaching this point altogether.