How Does Domain Hijacking Work

In order to learn how to hijack domain names we must first understand how domain names operate and how they become associated with a particular web server website.

How does domain hijacking work. Domain hijacking is a type of an attack whereby an organization s domain is stolen by changing the registration of a domain name without prior authorization of the domain s owner. This can be achieved by malware that overrides a computer s tcp ip configuration to point at a rogue dns server under the control of an attacker or through modifying the behaviour of a trusted dns server so that it does not comply with internet standards. If you provide false or inaccurate information the registrar may actually release your domain ownership giving hackers another chance at it.

This can be devastating to the original domain name holder not only financially as they may have derived commercial income from a website hosted at the domain or conducted business through that domain s e mail accounts but also in terms of readership and or audience for non profit. A more advanced form of domain hijacking which can be extremely detrimental to customers is phishing. Domain hijacking is broadly defined as an attempt to transfer ownership or control of a domain from its rightful owner.

When the domain name system becomes a security risk thanks to the domain name system dns internet users can enter a web address into a browser and are redirected to a website without having to specify the ip address. By using a variety of unethical or illegal tactics a hacker can transfer the ownership of your domain from your name to someone else s and effectively gain control of your domain. But a true domain hijacking occurs when a cybercriminal obtains direct access to your domain record and then uses it to negatively affect your website and business.

Phishing refers to when a hijacker replicates a company s website aka pharming to collect valuable information for example credit card and social security numbers. Dns hijacking dns poisoning or dns redirection is the practice of subverting the resolution of domain name system queries. Generally domain hijacking occurs from unauthorized access to or exploitation of a vulnerability in a domain name registrar through social engineering or by gaining access to the domain name owner s email address and then resetting the password to their domain name registrar.

Domain hijacking is also known as domain theft. Domain hijacking or domain theft is the act of changing the registration of a domain name without the permission of its original registrant or by abuse of privileges on domain hosting and registrar software systems. These modifications may be made for malicious purposes such as phishing for self serving purposes by internet service.

The dns inquiry is passed directly to the dns server which auto responds with the correct ip address. Techopedia explains domain hijacking. That s called domain hijacking and it s something you should be aware of and take preventive measures against.