Typically, a domain name is some sort of business name and a big part of the branding of a corporation. When they enter the page, users type it in and on each visit, they see it at the top of their window. That's why your domain name is one of the most important things you own because people would not be able to access your website if it didn't exist.

Domain Name Hijacking

Hijacking a domain name is also a subtler way of suggesting that your domain name has been hacked. A hacker attempts to access the full domain registrar account information of his target that will allow him to make illegal changes and transactions to his advantage. This involves modifying the name of the DNS registry, setting up a new domain status, and moving the name of the domain.

It is very difficult, if not impossible to reverse the harm caused by domain hijacking, which makes it much trickier. And this does not take into account the negative effects and high attack expenses on your brand name.

How Does a Domain Get Hijacked?

DNS is a basic mechanism of the Internet that leaves a trail of your online activities for those of you who are not aware, something that you cannot do anything about. Your DNS requests are exposed to ISP DNS servers in the event of a security bug, also known as a DNS leak, allowing hackers unauthorised access. Here are two common tactics:

• Identity Theft
• Phishing Emails

Other DNS attack forms that should be known to you

Your online activity may be influenced by many other forms of important DNS attacks. Let's get them checked below:

1) Typosquatting

Typosquatting is not only a security problem, but can also pose a significant challenge to keeping confidential business secrets.

2) Cache poisoning

Whenever you send emails or visit websites, your machine uses DNS info. Somewhere on your network, this information is then cached, equivalent to that of your ISP.

3) DDoS

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks are typically not a direct DNS threat. But there are still vulnerabilities, as DNS is a logical network chokepoint that companies frequently ignore when preparing their infrastructure capacity.

4) DNS amplification attacks

As for DNS amplification, it is a technique used to exploit DNS servers installed in vulnerable "recursive" setups in DDoS assaults. What attackers noticed here was that in their favour, they could use "open" recursive DNS servers.

Protect Your Domain

1) Choose a Reputable Domain or Hosting Provider

A safer choice will be to use a domain provider renowned nationally. You should be confident your domain will be secured and it will be kept secure from hijackers.

2)  Always Register for a Domain in Your Own Name

That will easily lead to the domain being hacked by not owning the domain under your name, and you won't be able to show that you own the domain.

3) In emails, don't keep confidential domain details

Your email is not a secure spot to manage login credentials for the domain account or any other information. Moving it to a secure location, preferably in a physical diary or an isolated phone app, if you receive emails from your provider that contain that sort of information.

4) Using a strong two-factor authentication and password

Using poor passwords to protect your domain and email address is one of the best ways to lose your domain. Always make sure you use a strong password that has a combination of letters, numbers and symbols in lowercase and capital.

5) Don't share with others domain info

Issues regarding payment and work arrangements can occur between you and your web developer in these types of engagements. The entity will keep your domain hostage until you agree to their terms if things get nasty. It's best to take a professional approach, handling yourself with all the high-level domain administration duties.

6)  Allow Protection for Domain Privacy

Through the use of the WHOIS directory, the best way a hacker can get information about your domain and who owns it is. It is a public archive where there is information open to everyone about domain ownership.

7) Keep your eye out for phishing or scam emails

Usually, phishing and scam emails are sent by forging the email address or domain name of a trusted source.

What to Do If Your Domain Has Been Hijacked

If your domain account has already been hacked, it will always come in useful with the defensive measures we have covered, but only after you have regained ownership of your domain. We'll discuss two ways to help you do it before we wrap things up.

It takes 60 days for the ownership transition to become permanent if a domain is passed from one entity to another. This suggests that you have enough time to apply your argument to:

• Domain registrar: Your registrar is the company that you acquired the domain from. As soon as your domain is hijacked, contact them and inform them you did not initiate the offer for transfer of control. Then obey whatever guidance they send you.
• ICANN: You should file a report to ICANN about the hijacking of your domain name. But be warned, you may be questioned for proof by their experts, i.e. proofs that you are the legitimate owner of the domain.

You should get in contact with a lawyer and make your case in court if these two tactics don't succeed. Hopefully, it's not going to come to that.

References

• Steven, G. (2020). How to Prevent Domain Hijacking and Cyber Attacks - Namecheap Blog. Namecheap Blog. Retrieved from https://www.namecheap.com/blog/prevent-domain-hijacking-and-cyber-attacks/.
• Domain Hijacking and How to Protect Yourself - HostPapa Blog. HostPapa Blog. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.hostpapa.com/blog/web-hosting/domain-hijacking-and-how-to-protect-yourself/.