What Is Hijacking?
Domain hijacking is the unauthorized transfer or seizure of a domain name from its legitimate owner. This can happen through social engineering (tricking the registrar's support team), hacking the owner's registrar account, exploiting weak email security, or manipulating the domain transfer process.
Domain hijacking is illegal and can result in criminal charges. High-profile hijacking cases have targeted valuable domains worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. The consequences for victims can be devastating — loss of website, email, and business identity.
Prevention measures include: enabling two-factor authentication on your registrar account, using a unique strong password, keeping WHOIS contact information current, enabling registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited), and monitoring your domain for unauthorized changes.
Why This Matters for Startups
Protect your domain from hijacking from day one. Enable two-factor authentication on your registrar account, use a unique complex password, and turn on registrar lock. Keep your WHOIS email address current — if someone initiates an unauthorized transfer, the confirmation email goes there. For high-value domains, consider using a registrar with enhanced security features. Losing your domain to hijacking could be catastrophic for your startup.
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