Steps to Secure your Website Domain

Ensuring your domain is safe is compulsory for any domain owner. It is not complex as many people think; all you need is to implement a few practices to secure your domain name. Domains play an important role in giving your brand identity. And an address where customers can find you online. If there is an attack on your domain, you may lose your revenue and have a bad reputation. And the business can even stop operating.

According to the Cybersecurity Almanac report of 2022. There is a high increase in cybercrime. And it could cost companies trillions of cash to recover annually. Some commonly used methods by hackers to target domain owners. Including phishing, social engineering, and pharming. This guide will look at different steps to secure your domain.

Steps to Secure your Website Domain
Steps to Secure your Website Domain

10 Steps to Secure Your Website Domain

Most of the steps below are easy to follow and implement. Others might need extra professionals like cybersecurity experts and lawyers. But this still does not greatly affect cost. The steps are as follows:

  • Choose a domain registrar with a solid reputation.
  • Register your domain for the longest amount of time possible
  • Add a security contact for your company
  • Secure domain access
  • Consider registering look-alike domains
  • Remove your data from WHOIS
  • Create a vulnerability disclosure policy (VDP)
  • Enable registry lock
  • Set your domain up for preloading
  • Use DMARC for email validation

Choose a domain registrar with a solid reputation

There are many domain providers over the internet. Avoid small domain registrars, which are relatively new. They have higher chances of stopping businesses over the years when something comes up. You can use Internet Corporation for Assigned Names. And Numbers to check which reputable domain registrars are. Some of the reputable registrars include Bluehost, GoDaddy, and Namecheap.

Register your domain for the longest amount of time possible

When registering a new domain, ensure you pay for up to 10 years. It protects you from hackers who are keen on the expiry date of your domain and take advantage of it. They can register your domain, and there are higher chances of you forgetting that you need to renew it.

It also prevents hackers from creating look-alike domains. As yours will always differ from the rest. It eliminates all the domain security issues.

Add a security contact for your company

A security contact is someone or an agency you trust and can add to the government. registrar to get all information about threats on your domain. Some notifications include compromised user accounts, email spam, routing issues, and potential vulnerabilities. Once you update the user at the registrar, it reflects on the WHOIS database.

Most of the security contacts are professionals and can evaluate your domain’s reports. Practice using a team email like [email protected][email protected], etc.

Secure domain access

There are different practices you can put in place to secure your domain. It limits who has access to your domain. Some of the practices include:

  • Use two-factor authentication (2FA). After inputting your password when logging into your domain registrar. Use 2FA to add extra security, i.e., they will send you an OTP.
  • Use a VPN. The virtual private network ensures your connection is encrypted. Making you access your domain safely.
  • Use a strong password. Ensure your password is a mixture of symbols and numbers. And lowercase and uppercase letters give hackers a hard time cracking it up.
  • Use of an SSL certificate. Get a Comodo SSL certificate and install it on your domain. It protects the domain by encrypting all the information. Keeping your and your customer’s data safe.

Consider registering look-alike domains

Look-alike domains involve registering your domain using other extensions and changing the spelling. If, for example, your domain is smartagencies.com. you can consider registering the domain with other extensions. i.e., smartagensies.io, smartgaencies.net, and smartagencies.org. It blocks the hackers who plan to register your domain using other extensions. And try to target your domain.

Remove your data from WHOIS

When a user registers a domain, all their contact details are. Domain details go to a public database referred to as WHOIS. International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) updates the database. When registering a new domain, consider using the company email. And other contacts instead of your details, like personal email and phone numbers. It prevents some online threats like phishing and spamming.

You should also scan your WHOIS database to see the correct details. If you find some missing details or there are some changes, and you are not the one who authorized them. Contact your domain registrar quickly and report it to the ICANN.

Create a vulnerability disclosure policy (VDP)

VDP contains all the processes and guidelines that cybersecurity researchers use to find, resolve, and report. And verify all security vulnerabilities using a legal manner. You will need an advocate to help you draft one or use some online templates. It saves you by keeping your domain safe and your vulnerability reports safe.

Other places you can VDP include:

  • National Telecommunications and Information Administration website.
  • Department of Defense and the Technology Transformation Service at the General Services Administration.
  • Department of Justice’s Framework for a Vulnerability Disclosure Program for Online Systems.

After having a complete VDP. Publish it on your website after the privacy policy and even link it to the security policy.

Enable registry lock

It ensures no one can transfer your domain deliberately, preventing all unauthorized transfers. Most domain transfers occur when you delegate domain management. And your staff has the credentials and can start it. Registrars provide Client Transfer Prohibited code that makes it hard to transfer a domain. If you can’t turn it on and off.

When using registry lock and someone accessing your domain for transfer. They will be asked to transmit an EPP code which only goes to the domain owner’s email, making it hard to access. It is advisable to have a separate email for conducting your domain business. And prevent other people from accessing your email. As they can end up sharing the code with hackers.

Set your domain up for preloading

Most web browsers like Chrome and Mozilla accept preloading. If your domain uses HSTS(HTTP Strict Transport Security). All you need to do is to submit your website to the HSTS list. It ensures when one accesses your domain. They connect it using secure HTTPS instead of unsecured HTTPS. Which keeps your domain safe from threats.

Some of the requirements for ensuring your domain meets preloading include:

  • Use of a valid certificate.
  • Ensure you serve all the subdomains over HTTPS.
  • Use of HTST headers when serving all HTTPS requests.

For more requirements, visit the HSTS website.

Use DMARC for email validation

Domain-based Message Authentication and reporting. Conformance (DMARC) is a type of authentication protocol. That protects your domain level when dealing with emails. It uses Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to ensure domains. And servers that send emails to your organization’s domains are correct. And adds a digital signature to the email sent to let the web hosting know that the email came from your domain.

It helps detect and prevent email-based attacks. Like phishing, whaling, smishing, vishing, business email compromise (BEC), and angler phishing. Ensure you have a strong DMARC policy. The policy should include email authentication, reporting, and alignment. And conformance, budgetary implications, and other actions.

Conclusion

These steps will ensure your domain is safe from many online threats that may affect your brand and business. In the current world, having a domain is an important asset. If you fail to protect it, there will be issues with your brand or business. You may end up having losses, paying fines, and other surprises. Attackers are always on the lookout, and your team’s role is to protect your brand.

Related Topics

1 thought on “Steps to Secure your Website Domain”

Comments are closed.