Domain name protection
Domain name protection: 7 tips to secure your domain
Losing a domain takes your website and email with it. These seven steps protect a domain from hijacking, unauthorised transfers, DNS tampering and accidental expiry, and most take a few minutes.
7 tips and a quick checklist
The risks
Four ways a domain is lost.
- 01
Hijacking
Someone gets into your registrar account, often with a reused or phished password, and moves the domain away or changes where it points.
- 02
Accidental expiry
A renewal fails or is missed, and once the grace period ends anyone can register the name.
- 03
Unauthorised transfer
An unlocked domain and a leaked transfer code let someone move it to another registrar.
- 04
DNS tampering
Changed DNS records send your visitors or email somewhere else.
7 tips
Protect your domain in seven steps.
- 1
Use a strong, unique password
Your registrar account controls the domain. Give it a long password you use nowhere else, kept in a password manager.
- 2
Turn on two-factor authentication
Add a second step to log in to your registrar account, so a stolen password is not enough.
Prefer an authenticator app over SMS codes.
- 3
Keep the transfer lock on
The lock blocks transfers to another registrar until you turn it off. How domain lock works
- 4
Turn on auto-renewal
Renew automatically, and keep a valid payment method on file, so the domain never lapses by accident.
Registering for several years also means fewer renewals to miss.
- 5
Keep your contact email current
Renewal and transfer notices go to the email on your account. Use an address that does not depend on the domain itself, in case that domain stops working.
- 6
Hide your details with WHOIS privacy
Keeping your name, email and phone out of public WHOIS cuts spam and phishing aimed at your domain. It is free with Cloudoora on every extension whose registry allows it.
- 7
Sign your DNS with DNSSEC
DNSSEC lets resolvers check that your DNS answers are genuine, which protects visitors from forged records.
Quick checklist
Is your domain protected?
Do
- Lock on
Transfer lock is on for every domain you are not moving.
- Auto-renew on
With a payment method that will not expire soon.
- 2FA on
On your registrar account and the email it uses.
- Privacy on
Your personal details are hidden from public WHOIS.
Avoid
- Reusing passwords
One leaked password should not open your domain.
- Sharing the transfer code
Only enter it at the registrar you are moving to.
- An email on the same domain only
If the domain stops working, so do its renewal notices.
- Clicking renewal links in emails
Fake renewal notices are common. Log in directly instead.
FAQ
Domain protection questions
What is domain protection?
The settings and habits that keep a domain under your control, such as the transfer lock, two-factor login, auto-renewal, WHOIS privacy and DNSSEC.
How do domains get hijacked?
Usually through the registrar account: a reused or phished password lets someone change the domain's settings or move it away.
What happens if my domain expires?
Your website and email stop working. After the registry's grace and redemption periods, which vary by extension, anyone can register the name.
How do I check my domain's expiry date and lock?
Run a WHOIS lookup. It shows the expiry date and status codes such as clientTransferProhibited, which means the lock is on.
Is WHOIS privacy included with Cloudoora domains?
Yes, free, on every extension whose registry allows it.
Do I need DNSSEC?
It is recommended, especially for business and ecommerce domains, because it protects visitors from forged DNS answers.
Keep your domains in one safe place.
Free WHOIS privacy, the transfer lock and DNSSEC, on every extension that supports them.