Your Domain, Your Reputation: Stop It from Being Hijacked
Your domain name isn’t just your web address—it’s your digital identity. If someone hijacks it, they can impersonate your brand, steal your email traffic, or take your entire website offline. For a small business or nonprofit, that can be reputation-ending.
Domain hijacking isn’t just theoretical. It happens more often than you’d think—and it’s usually due to poor security at the registrar level or failure to configure email protections.
Real Damage from a Stolen Domain
- Your website disappears—replaced by malware or scam content
- Emails start bouncing—clients think you vanished
- Spoofed messages go out—scammers trick donors, staff, or vendors
- You lose SEO ranking—and possibly the domain itself
And no, your hosting company usually can’t fix it if the domain is no longer yours.
7 Steps to Protect Your Domain and Brand
- Enable Registrar Lock: Stops unauthorized domain transfers.
- Use a Reputable Registrar: Stick with known, secure services.
- Enforce 2FA on Registrar Accounts: A must-have for domain control.
- Monitor Domain Expiration Dates: Use calendar reminders and auto-renew.
- Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: These DNS records protect against email spoofing.
- Avoid Public WHOIS for Small Orgs: Use privacy protection where allowed.
- Review DNS Access Permissions: Only trusted users should have control.
One Mistake = Weeks of Recovery
Getting a domain back after it’s hijacked is a nightmare. You’re at the mercy of ICANN dispute resolution processes, and there’s no guarantee. Prevention is the only good plan.
Download: Domain and Email Security Checklist (Word)
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