{"id":43757,"date":"2015-11-12T19:27:29","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T13:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=43757"},"modified":"2026-10-08T18:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T13:28:06","slug":"domain-name-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Ways to Increase Domain Name Security (and Stop Domain Hijacking)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your domain name is the foundation of your website and email. If someone steals it, they can take over your site, read your email and even hold the domain to ransom, and getting it back can take weeks. Domain hijacking still happens every day, usually through a hacked registrar account or an expired domain. Here are the steps to increase domain name security, updated for 2026, which take only a few minutes with any registrar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> To protect your domain, turn on <strong>registrar lock<\/strong> (transfer lock), secure your registrar account with <strong>two-factor authentication<\/strong>, keep your <strong>contact email up to date<\/strong>, use <strong>WHOIS privacy<\/strong>, turn on <strong>auto-renew<\/strong> with a valid payment card, and consider <strong>DNSSEC<\/strong> and a <strong>registry lock<\/strong> for important domains.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad6779b50a7c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad6779b50a7c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#1_Lock_your_domain_name\" >1. Lock your domain name<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#2_Turn_on_two-factor_authentication_at_your_registrar\" >2. Turn on two-factor authentication at your registrar<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#3_Keep_your_registrant_contact_details_up_to_date\" >3. Keep your registrant contact details up to date<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#4_Use_WHOIS_domain_privacy\" >4. Use WHOIS domain privacy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#5_Auto-renew_your_domain_names\" >5. Auto-renew your domain names<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#6_Turn_on_DNSSEC\" >6. Turn on DNSSEC<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#7_Use_registry_lock_for_your_most_valuable_domains\" >7. Use registry lock for your most valuable domains<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#What_is_domain_hijacking\" >What is domain hijacking?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#Can_a_locked_domain_still_be_stolen\" >Can a locked domain still be stolen?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/domain-name-security\/#What_should_I_do_if_my_domain_is_stolen\" >What should I do if my domain is stolen?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Lock_your_domain_name\"><\/span>1. Lock your domain name<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/07\/set-domain-locking-secure-your-domain-names\/\">Domain locking<\/a> (also called registrar lock or transfer lock) is the most basic step. A locked domain can&#8217;t be transferred to another registrar until you unlock it. Unlock it only when you actually want to move the domain, then lock it again. Some registrars don&#8217;t lock domains by default, so check yours.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"border alignnone wp-image-43762 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/domain-lock.png\" alt=\"Domain lock setting for domain name security\" width=\"356\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/domain-lock.png 356w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/domain-lock-150x116.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/domain-lock-300x233.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 356px) 100vw, 356px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Make sure the lock shows as <strong>On<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43763\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/domain-lock-on.png\" alt=\"Domain lock turned on\" width=\"273\" height=\"147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/domain-lock-on.png 273w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/domain-lock-on-150x81.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 273px) 100vw, 273px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You can confirm the lock with a <a href=\"https:\/\/lookup.icann.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICANN lookup<\/a>: the domain status should include <code>clientTransferProhibited<\/code>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Turn_on_two-factor_authentication_at_your_registrar\"><\/span>2. Turn on two-factor authentication at your registrar<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most domain thefts start with a hacked registrar account. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) so a stolen password alone isn&#8217;t enough. Use an authenticator app or a passkey rather than SMS codes where your registrar allows it. It takes a few minutes, just like setting up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/secure-google-email-account\/\">Gmail 2-step verification<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"border alignnone wp-image-43764 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/godaddy-2-step-verification.png\" alt=\"Two-step verification at a domain registrar\" width=\"499\" height=\"511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/godaddy-2-step-verification.png 499w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/godaddy-2-step-verification-146x150.png 146w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/godaddy-2-step-verification-293x300.png 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Also use a unique, strong password for your registrar account, and don&#8217;t use an email address on the same domain as your login email. If the domain goes down, you&#8217;d lose access to the recovery emails too.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Keep_your_registrant_contact_details_up_to_date\"><\/span>3. Keep your registrant contact details up to date<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Registrars send renewal reminders and transfer approval emails to your contact address. If that email is old or wrong, you won&#8217;t hear about a fraudulent transfer or expiry in time. Check the registrant email on every domain you own, especially old ones. See what happened when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/09\/9rules-domain-name-expired-update-your-domain-contacts\/\">9Rules let its domain expire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Use_WHOIS_domain_privacy\"><\/span>4. Use WHOIS domain privacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Always choose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/why-private-domain-name-registration-is-essential\/\">private registration<\/a>, which hides your name, email, address and phone number from public WHOIS lookups. The less attackers know about you, the harder it is to target your account with phishing or social engineering.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"border alignnone wp-image-43765 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/private-registration.png\" alt=\"Private domain registration for WHOIS privacy\" width=\"405\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/private-registration.png 405w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/private-registration-150x80.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/private-registration-300x161.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Today most registrars, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudflare.com\/products\/registrar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cloudflare Registrar<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.namecheap.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Namecheap<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.porkbun.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Porkbun<\/a>, include privacy free. (We once recommended <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/google-domains-free-private-domain-registration\/\">Google Domains for free privacy<\/a>, but Google sold that business to Squarespace in 2023.) Some country domains, such as .in, have their own privacy rules.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Auto-renew_your_domain_names\"><\/span>5. Auto-renew your domain names<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Years pass quickly, and an expired domain can be snapped up by someone else within days of its grace period ending. Turn on auto-renew, and keep a valid payment card on file, so you never lose a domain by accident.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-43766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/autorenew-domains.png\" alt=\"Auto-renew domain names\" width=\"365\" height=\"214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/autorenew-domains.png 365w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/autorenew-domains-150x88.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/autorenew-domains-300x176.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For domains you plan to keep, register them for several years at once. We booked this site for 10 years. Even Google once let a domain slip: see when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/10\/google-com-domain-sold-for-12\/\">Google.com was briefly bought for $12<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Turn_on_DNSSEC\"><\/span>6. Turn on DNSSEC<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>DNSSEC signs your DNS records so attackers can&#8217;t redirect visitors to a fake site with forged DNS answers. Many registrars and DNS hosts, including Cloudflare, let you turn it on with one click.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Use_registry_lock_for_your_most_valuable_domains\"><\/span>7. Use registry lock for your most valuable domains<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A registry lock goes further than a registrar lock. Changes to the domain need manual verification by the registry itself, so even a hacked registrar account can&#8217;t move or change it. It usually costs extra and isn&#8217;t available for every domain extension, but it&#8217;s worth it for a business-critical domain.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_domain_hijacking\"><\/span>What is domain hijacking?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Domain hijacking is when someone takes control of your domain without permission, usually by breaking into your registrar account or tricking the registrar, then transferring the domain or changing its DNS.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_a_locked_domain_still_be_stolen\"><\/span>Can a locked domain still be stolen?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s much harder. But if attackers get into your registrar account, they can unlock it. That&#8217;s why two-factor authentication is just as important as the lock.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_should_I_do_if_my_domain_is_stolen\"><\/span>What should I do if my domain is stolen?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Contact your registrar&#8217;s abuse or security team immediately with proof of ownership, such as invoices and old WHOIS records. ICANN&#8217;s transfer dispute process can also help recover domains transferred without authorisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your domain name is the foundation of your website and email. If someone steals it, they can take over your&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":43762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,7],"tags":[52,49],"class_list":["post-43757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-domain-hosting","category-security","tag-popular","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43757"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63647,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43757\/revisions\/63647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}