Most domain registrars do give the option to 'Lock' your domain name. This is highly recommended to avoid any potential fraudulent transfers of domains, as Panix found out. Equally as, if not more important, keep the domain registrant and in particular the administrative contact details up to date, especially the email address where correspondence about your domain name and it’s management is sent to.
Listing an email has become a double edged sword however, spammers crawling the web and WHOIS details often spam these emails with the usual rubbish making many domain owners list a non descript email address: Do not do this, always use an active email that you control and always have access to.
There are alternatives now, most registrars, eNom for example offer an option to hide the WHOIS details on a particular domain name for certain TLD extensions, such as .com, .net and .org. Called Privacy project and although never 100% bullet proof, it means that any spammers find it more difficult to get hold of and through to your email address. Nominet, the British governing body for .co.uk and other .UK domains allow private individuals to exclude their contact details from appearing in the public WHOIS database.
The documented problems with Melbourne IT and the high profile Panix domain hijack could perhaps have been avoided and if these details are kept current with registrar lock on then no ‘hijacking’ of your domain names should ever happen. If Melbourne IT didn't offer a registrar lock previosuly however, they probably will be doing in the very near future. ICANN, the regulatory body for .com and .net did change the rules and regulations on domain transfers at the end of 2004 and it is thought that these changes, intented to facilitate transfers, could have attributed to the hijack of the panix domain.
On January 12th, ICANN via their web site asked for public comment on experiences with inter-registrar transfer policies. You can comment for yourself via:
http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-12jan05.htm
There is a much more frequent problem associated with lost domains and it is not a domain hijack. Expired domain names or expiring domain names can also cost business and people money or just cause misery for the affected party. Once again, by keeping the administrative email address up to date at all times for your domain name via your domain management panel you should always receive notices starting 60 days before, that your domain name is expiring.
Expired domain names are big business, especially if listed in Google, Yahoo or Dmoz, the Open Directory Project. Rest assured there is always somebody watching your domain name as the date of renewal comes ever closer. If you don’t renew the domain will be lost and mostly its all perfectly legal too, unless a Trademark etc. Tools are readily available for this type of service with VeriSign, Inc. who control the .com and .net registries offering the latest domain waiting list service (WLS); others are also on offer such as the SnapNames service. These are simple to use and require registration and credit card payment for an annual subscription to follow your domain, just in case it expires; then the automated service registers the domain for the paying subscriber and the name is lost.
Do not lose your domain for the sake of spending 10 minutes every month or whenever required to keep the details correct; it is for your own benefit.
It's free advice and common sense to help keep control of your domain, so if you want to keep your domain, ask yourself now:
Are the details up to date?
Is the registrar lock on?
When does my domain expire?
