How to prevent the domain name from being hijacked?What should I do after the domain name is hijacked?

On May 14, 2014, Forward Network's official Weibo account issued an announcement, revealing that their domain had been stolen, resulting in losses of over a hundred million yuan. In today's world, rife with hackers, domain thefts and hijacks are occurring almost daily. Baidu, the search engine, hopes that webmasters will not only focus on indexing, traffic, and monetization but also pay close attention to domain security, as domain security is the cornerstone of survival. In previous interactions with webmasters, it was observed that they often harbored the following mindset: the domain control lies entirely with the service provider, and we are in a passive position. So, does this mean webmasters really don't need to do anything and are powerless?

I. The Severe Consequences of Domain Hijacking

1. Domain resolution to another address, causing users to be unable to access the website, resulting in reduced website traffic.

2. Generating a large number of subdomains through wildcard resolution, all pointing to other addresses (often malicious spam websites).

3. Domain resolution to malicious phishing websites, leading to user financial losses.

4. When the content interferes with search results after a domain hijacking, to ensure user experience and security, Baidu search engine will temporarily suspend indexing and displaying the domain until strict verification and confirmation are carried out before reopening it.

II. How to Reduce the Risk of Domain Hijacking and Minimize Losses

1. Set complex passwords for your domain registrar and the email used for registration, and change them regularly. If you use a separate DNS service, ensure the passwords are also set as mentioned above. Additionally, avoid using the same username and password across multiple important registration locations.

2. Set your domain update status to locked, preventing modifications to records through DNS service provider websites. Note that after using this method, all domain resolution changes must be done through the service provider, which may have slower processing times.

3. Regularly check domain account information and domain WHOIS information. Perform daily site checks for unexpected web pages, or use Baidu Cloud Observation for monitoring. This way, you can receive immediate alerts if your domain is resolved to a malicious site (learn more about domain security with Baidu Cloud Observation).

4. Website operators and optimization personnel should routinely inspect website indexes and external link information in detail. If any anomalies are found, investigate them thoroughly.

III. What to Do After Your Domain Is Hijacked

1. Immediately change the passwords for your domain registrar and email with strong, complex passwords, and update them regularly.

2. Remove any DNS resolutions that don't belong to you and restore your DNS settings.

3. If you're using third-party DNS services, promptly change the password for the third-party DNS service account, lock your account information, and enable account SMS or email alerts.

4. Collect all illegally added pages and set them to return a 404 error. Use tools from Baidu Webmaster Platform to submit dead links.

5. If hijacking incidents frequently occur with your current service provider, consider switching to a more secure and stable provider. Websites with the capability can set up their own DNS services and manage them independently to take control of their risk.