There are times when it is necessary to acquire a new domain name. It is a common, but dangerous, practice to allow old domain names to expire. Abandoned domain names have been targeted by cyber criminals who use them to set up fake e-commerce sites. With these fake e-commerce sites, criminals can steal the credit card details from unsuspecting online shoppers. Failure to pay the annual renewal fee on your domain name may result end up being costly for you and others.
Unexpected Domain Name Loss
Sometimes, domains can be lost unexpectedly. Maybe you have relied on an automatic-renewal option for your domain but forgot to keep your credit card information up to date. This simple mistake can quickly turn into your domain name expiring and being purchased by someone else.
Reasons Why You Should Protect An Old Domain Name
Email is a key communication method for most businesses. Email addresses are tied to your domain name, like johndoe@YOURDOMAIN.com. Cyber criminals are on the lookout for recently expired domains. All they need to do is re-register the domain name, and that is it. With no extra work, your clients will email that old domain’s email address and unknowingly provide hackers with information.
By letting that old domain name expire, you could be giving cyber criminals access to mailing lists, sensitive data, and more. In theory, they could set up a website that looks just like an online store and sells products that don’t exist. They can dupe your customers into submitting payment for fake products that never ship. Not only will this annoy your customers, but it will also damage your credibility.
In addition, once a criminal has control of your domain name, they can start obtaining access to not only your email lists but also, social media accounts, such as Instagram, Facebook, or Linkedin. How? You may ask. When you signed up for your social media accounts, you most likely used your email associated with your domain name. Once criminals have access to your email, they can change passwords and update email addresses on your social media
Why is This Happening
By taking over your domain name and setting up an online store to sell products that do not exist, criminals can simply siphon payment card data from customers. According to a report by Flashpoint and RiskIQ, they have “observed more than 800 sites hosting these brand impersonation/skimming stores since June 2018”.
Protecting Your Domain
Because domain names are relatively inexpensive, we recommend hanging onto them. Have the old domain redirect to your new website. This will protect both you and your customers. There are two ways to redirect a domain.
- Domain Forward – No hosting required and set up through your domain registrar – This is a forward of all traffic from the domain itself. It’s not necessarily a “redirect” as it simple forwards all traffic from one domain to another domain. This includes any domain path, such as sampledomain.com/contact will simply be forwarded to the other domain’s homepage.
- Hosted Redirect – Hosting required and setup on your hosting account – This is a true redirect. The redirects are set through a .hataccess file and then redirected as needed. Email accounts can still live here as the hosting account still exists you are merely redirecting the traffic. You can also set up redirects to include a path. For example onedomain/contact can be redirected to anotherdomain.com/contact
SEO Implications
Aside from protecting yourself and your clients from scams, keeping a domain name might be a strategic SEO move. If you are rebranding a business with years of history, we highly recommend to do hosted redirects to maintain SEO value.
If you need help purchasing a new domain or setting up a redirect from an old domain to a new one, feel free to contact us. A CourseVector technician will be happy to help.
