Domain Name Protection?
In the world of eCommerce, high-value, attractive domain names
are highly sought after and can be very expensive to obtain.
Because domain names of so valuable, they are often times subject
to theft and other disputes over ownership. Fortunately, there are
ways in which owners can protect their domain name from scams,
thefts, and others who may attempt to deprive rightful owner of a
domain name's value.
Upon registering a domain name, it is important to register with
a company that values security and implements effective measures to
guard personal contact information and to serve as a gatekeeper
between the registered domain and those who may attempt to
compromise its security. It is also important to choose a registrar
that has strict policies in place for whenever a registrant wants
to make account changes or change domain name information.
Oftentimes a hijacker will attempt to impersonate a registrant.
Therefore, the stricter the registrar's requirements are for making
changes, the more difficult it will be for a hacker to meet all the
requirements and gain access to the account. Choosing a domain name
that has REGISTRAR-LOCK enabled may also be beneficial. Once
enabled, REGISTRAR-LOCK prevents unauthorized or accidental changes
from being made to the domain name.
Looking for sites that have a seal of approval which indicates
that they are hack proof can also be helpful in choosing a quality
registrar. When evaluating seals of approval that are associated
with a site's security level, it is important to research the
company that issued the seal and to examine the seal very carefully
to determine that it is authentic and that the seal was awarded by
a reputable internet safety company. HackerSafe and HackerProof are
two examples of companies that issue hack proof seals.
In addition to choosing the right registrar, there are practices
which the domain name owner can take to increase security. Choosing
a strong password can go far in greatly reducing the probability of
a hacker gaining access. Passwords which are non-obvious, at least
eight characters in length, and include a combination of letters
and numbers are usually a good choice. Making regular password
changes can increase security. Password storage is also important.
Domain owners should avoid storing their password on their
computer, and passwords should especially not be kept in an email.
Furthermore, choosing a secure email address is also critical, as
hackers are often able to access domain accounts through the
owner's email. Owners may increase email security by avoiding
accounts that are provided through free services and by setting up
an account on their own domain instead.
Protecting a domain should be treated no differently than
protecting other valuable assets. By enlisting the service of a
quality registrar in addition to adopting practices which increase
personal internet security, domain owners may greatly decrease the
likelihood of having their domain name compromised or stolen.