How to protect your domain name and web address?

Domain hijackers are betting on confusion with registrations. Therefore, it is imperative to know who you are buying the domain from and which company is hosting your site. For example, many users register their websites with authorized registrars, but they may not be the hosts of their websites. And this is the situation where hijackers see an opportunity to steal a web address.

1. Domain Name Fraud Renewal

One of the ways cybercriminals steal web addresses is to transfer ownership of a domain name to another user. At the beginning, a notification is sent to the site owner that it is time to renew the domain name. If he decides to use this service, then the hijackers receive authorization to transfer property rights from the legal owner to the criminals or to the hijackers themselves.

2. Access to site data through the WHOIS database

Smart criminals make a request to the WHOIS database to determine the name, address and phone number of the site owner. Here are some ways you can protect yourself from these cybercriminals:

Enter your domain name in the WHOIS service to see exactly what information a potential criminal can gain access to.

Before making any payments for a domain, check the WHOIS database and make sure that the invoice is issued by the company that is your registrar, and your domain name really needs to be updated.

Never pay a domain registration bill or renewal without verifying its authenticity. Many companies automatically pay incoming bills without checking their legality.

Check your WHOIS database for errors

Like any other database, WHOIS may have incorrect information. Periodically go to the service website and make sure that the published information is accurate. If you opted for private registration, check with the company how this registration will be indicated in the database.

If you find a database error, you can report it to the ICANN domain name management corporation WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System. Also send yourself an email from the anonymous registrar address. If the letter arrived, then everything is in order. If not, inform your registrar immediately.

Remember the expiration date of your domain name

This may seem obvious, but knowing the expiration dates of your domain name can save you one. Check the seventh line in the WHOIS database to know exactly when the domain expires. Then set yourself a reminder on the calendar to extend it on time.

If you do not renew the domain before it expires, you can lose it forever. There are companies that specifically seek and buy expired domain names for the sole purpose of selling them back to the original owner. If your domain is overbought by someone else, then you may be asked to pay a fairly large sum of money for it.