Domain hijacking
Domaining Guide
Domain hijacking
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Domain hijacking is the process by which internet
domain names are stolen from the rightful registrant.
Many people confuse domain hijacking with the reregistration of an expired
domain by a new party. One is a legal process and one is not. Domain hijacking
is theft, while if a name owner does not renew a name he or she is no longer the
owner and it is available for someone else to register.
Domain theft
Domain theft is an aggressive form of domain hijacking that usually
involves an illegal act. In most cases,
identity theft is used to trick the domain
registrar into allowing the hijacker to change the registration information
to steal control of a domain from the legitimate owner.
Some registrars are quick to set things right when these cases are
discovered. However, it is well documented that some registrars will admit no
fault in accepting the
forged credentials and will refuse to correct the record until forced by legal
action. In many of these cases, justice is not done and the hijacker retains
control of the domain. The victims of such theft often do not have the resources
or willingness to invest the effort necessary to regain control of their domain,
which may require a lawsuit or a lengthy and time-consuming arbitration process,
especially if the hijacker and victim are in different countries. Hackers that
have hijacked a domain can do anything with that name,
including putting up their own website or redirecting those who visit the
address to another site.
Prevention
Extensible Provisioning Protocol is used for many
TLD registries, and uses an authorization code issued exclusively to the
domain registrant as a security measure to prevent unauthorized transfers.
Some attorneys serve as webmasters to ensure the safety of their clients'
domains, but a cheaper option is a pre-pay domain recovery plan like the one
offered by TROANN, the title registry of ownership for domain names. Domain
theft can not be completely avoided because the human factor (disgruntled
employees/webmaster and hackers) will always exist, but the risk is much smaller
and the recovery process is much faster and easier if you take proactive steps,
like having a domain title certificate as proof of ownership. Arbitration and
litigation are available avenues for domain recovery and, under the right facts,
attorneys fees and costs can be recovered.
References
See also
Examples of cases in which a domain was hijacked:
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Domain name speculation
Name generator
Domain parking
Domain hack
Typosquatting
Domain sniping
Domain hijacking
Cybersquatting
Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy
List of most popular given names
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