Securing Your Domain From Hijacking: A Complete Protection Guide

Domain Hijacking Is a Real Threat

Domain hijacking — when someone gains unauthorized control of your domain — can redirect your website to a competitor, steal your email, and destroy years of brand equity. It happens more often than you'd think, and recovery can take weeks or months.

How Domain Hijacking Happens

Social Engineering

Attackers contact your registrar's support team, impersonate you, and convince them to transfer domain ownership. This is the most common method and the hardest to prevent with technology alone.

Compromised Email

If an attacker gains access to the email address associated with your domain registration, they can initiate transfers, change DNS settings, and lock you out. Your domain is only as secure as your email.

Registrar Account Breach

Weak passwords, reused credentials, or lack of two-factor authentication on your registrar account give attackers direct access to domain management.

Expired Domain Sniping

If you forget to renew your domain, it enters a grace period and eventually becomes available for anyone to register. Automated services specifically target expiring domains of established businesses.

DNS Hijacking

Instead of stealing the domain itself, attackers compromise your DNS settings to redirect traffic. This can happen through your registrar, your DNS provider, or your hosting account.

Essential Security Measures

1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

This is the single most impactful security step. Enable 2FA on:

• Your registrar account
• The email address linked to your domain
• Your DNS provider (if separate from registrar)
• Your hosting account

Use an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy), not SMS — SIM swapping attacks can bypass SMS-based 2FA.

2. Use a Strong, Unique Password

Your registrar password should be:

• At least 16 characters
• Randomly generated
• Unique (not used anywhere else)
• Stored in a password manager

3. Lock Your Domain

Enable registrar lock (also called client transfer lock) to prevent unauthorized transfers. Most registrars enable this by default, but verify it's active.

For high-value domains, request registry lock — a higher level of protection that requires manual verification by the registry to make any changes.

4. Use a Secure Email Address

The email on your domain registration should be:

• A dedicated email not used for general correspondence
• Protected with 2FA
• Not publicly visible on your website or social media
• Ideally a separate account from your business email

5. Enable WHOIS Privacy

Hiding your contact information prevents attackers from gathering details for social engineering attacks. Most registrars offer this free.

6. Monitor Your Domain

Set up monitoring to alert you of any changes:

• DNS monitoring: Get notified if name servers or DNS records change
• WHOIS monitoring: Get alerted if registration details are modified
• SSL certificate monitoring: Detect if someone issues certificates for your domain
• Uptime monitoring: Know immediately if your site goes down unexpectedly

7. Keep Registration Current

• Enable auto-renewal
• Keep a valid payment method on file
• Set calendar reminders 60 and 30 days before expiration
• Register for multiple years if possible (removes annual renewal risk)

8. Use DNSSEC

DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) adds cryptographic signatures to DNS records, preventing DNS spoofing and cache poisoning attacks. Enable it through your registrar.

Advanced Protection for High-Value Domains

Registry Lock

Registry lock requires manual, multi-step verification (often including phone calls) before any changes can be made to the domain. It's the highest level of protection available and is offered by most major registries for premium domains.

Legal Documentation

Keep records of:

• Original domain registration receipts
• Trademark registrations associated with the domain
• Historical WHOIS records
• Business incorporation documents

These help prove ownership in disputes.

Domain Insurance

Some providers offer insurance against domain theft and associated business losses. Worth considering for domains valued above $50,000.

What to Do If Your Domain Is Hijacked

1. Contact your registrar immediately — explain the situation and request an emergency lock
2. Contact the registry (Verisign for .com) if the registrar isn't responsive
3. Document everything — screenshots, email logs, DNS records
4. File a complaint with ICANN if the registrar isn't cooperating
5. Consider legal action — domain theft is a crime in most jurisdictions
6. File a UDRP complaint for trademark-related hijacking

Protect Your Entire Brand

Domain security is one piece of brand protection. Make sure your brand is also secured across social media handles and trademark registries. Use BrandScout to check your brand's presence across all digital channels and identify any gaps in your brand security.