What is domain squatting and brand hijacking?

Recently, according to foreign media reports "domain name cybersquatting and brand hijacking" phenomenon occurs more and more frequently, resulting in personal or business losses. And for domain name investors to protect their assets to provide a few suggestions, then, what is a domain name cybersquatting, what is brand hijacking?

"Domain name cybersquatting and brand hijacking are two Internet-based threats that pose unique dangers to businesses and end users. They make users vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and can also lead to brand or trademark damage, including potential phishing and malware attacks.

I. What is domain name cybersquatting

Domain cybersquatting is the rapid registration of domain names of commercial or other value by individuals or organisations when domain name registrations are open, with the aim of retaining, reselling or leveraging the domain name to earn traffic and revenue. This often occurs with new domain name top-level domains or particularly popular domain names, and cybersquatters typically bid to register attractive domain names, which can sometimes lead to disputes over conflicts with trademarks.

2.What is Brand Hijacking

By contrast, brand hijacking-also known as brand fraud-typically refers to Internet piracy masquerading as a well-known brand in order to erode and undermine that brand's credibility and trust among its customer base. Activity in this phenomenon has surged in recent years; in a 2022 report, 46 per cent of survey respondents said they had seen a significant increase in brand hijacking activity - and that it had led to reputational damage compared to the previous year.

In the case of domain cybersquatting, a cybersquatter (a domain owner with no real intent to use the domain name) either creates a website that resembles the legitimate brand sought to be enticed, or simply holds onto the domain name in the hope that the target will try to buy it for a large sum of money.

While domain name grabbing is more obvious, brand hijacking tends to be more insidious as it attempts to trick users into believing they are interacting with a real brand through a variety of means, including fake websites, phishing emails, and social media.

There are a number of ways businesses can protect themselves from the threat of domain name grabbing and brand hijacking, including:

1. tracking domain authority and backlink profiles; and

2, Digital authentication; and

3, Regular brand monitoring; and

4, Educate your audience on how to recognise real digital assets and fraudulent replicas; and

5, Taking swift and comprehensive legal action when necessary.