Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

February 23, 2010

Online Identity Theft – Can Someone Steal Your Domain?

On the internet, the identity of a business is best represented by it's domain name. The domain name is the first thing people will see, before they even enter your website. It is also the last thing they'll forget when thinking about your website – that is if you choose a domain name wisely. With that said, selecting a good domain is most likely the single most difficult aspect of creating an online identity, and it seems as if all of the good domain names have already been taken. Once you have finally come up with a good one, you'd think you've secured an online identity. Unfortunately, this is not the case., Buying your domain name is only the beginning of securing it as your online identity.

Domain Stealing

Securing a domain name is about much more than simply procuring it. Once you have it in your possession you'll need to make sure it stays in your possession. In the past hackers would focus on controlling a single computer, or a home network. Now they have the ability to circumvent web hosting security and gain control of entire web hosting companies over night. While this may sound unlikely, it has happened before, and an event of this magnitude does not need to occur in order for your domain name to be stolen. All the hacker needs to steal your domain name is a bit of ingenuity and trickery.

How is it Done?

Many times the hacker will send a fraudulent email that appears to be from your web hosting company, prompting you to renew your domain name. Once you provide the details they require, they login to your hosting account, and then transfer ownership of the domain to themselves, seemingly with your permission. This is just one of the ways hackers can steal your online identity. Hackers can also hijack the server that controls your hosting account and assume ownership of many domains in this fashion.

What are the Results?

Once the hacker has ownership of your domain, he can do whatever he likes with it. If it is one of your competitors, they may just decide to shut the website down and leave it abandoned. Or they may take every possible action to slander your site by defacing it with vulgar images or socially questionable content, before your regain ownership. The hacker could also use your site's traffic and redirect it to their site, thereby stealing your hard earned customers. The possibilities are literally endless once the hacker has possession of your domain.

Regaining Ownership and Preventing Domain Stealing

While it may seem as if fixing the situation would be easy, it can actually be a very difficult process to  convince the hosting company that you are indeed the owner of the site, especially if the hacker transferred ownership seemingly with your consent. You may need to provide a plethora of personal information, and in some cases, you still won't be able to recover your domain. The best way to keep your online identity is to prevent such an occurrence to begin with. You can protect yourself from domain theft by enacting security measures that require your web hosting company to contact you before any changes are made final on your hosting account.

Most web hosting companies present the option of receiving or phone notification before changes are made on your account. Speak to your web hosting company about setting up phone verification, as this is the best way to ensue secure possession of your domain.

Tags: fraudulent email,  domain stealing,  steal domain,  slander,  online identity,  identity theft,  hackers