Domain hijacking
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Domain hijacking is the process by which internet domains are basically stolen.
Many people confuse domain hijacking with the "reuse" of an expired domain. One is a legal process and one is not. Domain hijacking is theft, reuse of an expired domain is "opportunity usage"
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[edit] 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 an unexpired 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 legal action 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, and some even delete the entire content of the website.
[edit] 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.
