Security Feature Domain Guard: Necessary or Redundant?

Domain Guard is an additional security feature offered by some web hosts to protect domains from unauthorized access and manipulation. With increasing cyber attacks and the growing importance of online presence, domain protection plays a crucial role. But who would benefit from this paid security feature, and what are the actual advantages it offers?

What is Domain Guard?

Domain Guard is an optional security feature offered by web hosts to protect domains from unauthorized changes and access. For example, in the German web hosting market, providers like IONOS and STRATO offer such features, while in Switzerland, the provider Hostpoint offers this function to its customers. This security feature is also increasingly available from many web hosts in the international market.

Domain Guard prevents tampering with important administrative settings such as nameservers, DNS records, contact details, as well as during domain transfers or cancellations, reducing the risk of domain hijacking. Once activated, Domain Guard provides an additional layer of protection, particularly crucial for business-critical or valuable domains.

Technical Basics and Functionality

Domain Guard operates by locking certain management functions at the system level. This means that changes to the following areas are only possible with prior authorisation:

• Contact details (e.g. Admin-C, Tech-C)
• Nameserver settings
• DNS settings
• Domain transfers
• Domain cancellation

Enabling these locked functions is only possible through an authorised email address, ensuring two-factor authentication. Even if third parties gain access to a web hosting account, changes cannot be made without explicit approval from the domain owner.

In addition to protection against unauthorised changes, Domain Guard offers other useful features:

• Proof of domain ownership: According to data protection regulations, domain queries (Whois queries) are restricted. With Domain Guard, an official document containing the domain registration data can be generated as a PDF to prove ownership to authorities or business partners.
• Enhanced notifications: Domain owners are informed in real-time about all security-related activities.

Difference from other domain security measures like DNSSEC

While DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) aims to ensure the security of DNS resolution by verifying the authenticity and integrity of DNS records, Domain Guard focuses on protecting administrative actions. DNSSEC protects against attacks such as DNS spoofing or cache poisoning by using digital signatures to ensure that the data a user receives truly comes from the correct source. In contrast, Domain Guard protects against attacks like domain hijacking by blocking unauthorised transfers and changes. Both measures are complementary and address different aspects of domain security.

What are the benefits of using Domain Guard?

Domain Guard provides an additional layer of security that protects domains from unauthorized changes and domain hijacking.

Prevention of unauthorized changes to domain settings

Domain settings such as nameservers, DNS configuration, or contact details are essential for the operation of a website or online service. Unauthorized changes, such as those made by third parties with unauthorized access, can have serious consequences, such as the loss of domain accessibility or redirection of traffic. Domain Guard locks these functions at the system level and ensures that changes can only be made with explicit approval from the domain owner. This provides an additional layer of security that effectively prevents manipulations.

Protection against domain hijacking

Domain hijacking is one of the most serious security threats in domain management. Attackers take control of a domain by, for example, changing the DNS records or transferring the domain to another registrar. This can lead to visitors being redirected to fake websites or important online services becoming unreachable. Domain Guard protects against such scenarios by blocking domain transfers and allowing critical changes only after explicit authorization.

Considerations when using Domain Guard

There are several aspects to consider when using Domain Guard, including additional costs, increased administrative effort, and certain limitations in the scope of protection.

Additional Costs

Domain Guard is a paid additional feature that can represent an additional financial burden, especially for smaller businesses or individuals with a limited budget. Additionally, some web hosts offer DNSSEC, an important security feature, only as part of a Domain Guard subscription, limiting the use of free alternatives.

Increased Administrative Effort

Activating and managing Domain Guard may require additional steps and organisational effort. This includes tasks such as setting up authorised email addresses, managing locking mechanisms, or using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) in addition to the feature itself. This can be a challenge, especially for users without technical knowledge.

Limits of Protection

While Domain Guard provides high protection against unauthorised changes and domain hijacking, it is not a complete defence against all types of cyber attacks. Phishing attacks, social engineering, or security vulnerabilities in other areas of the IT infrastructure can still pose a threat. Additionally, Domain Guard does not directly protect the website's content or data stored on the servers.

Conclusion: Is Domain Guard worthwhile?

If the customer account with the web host is already secured by strong security measures such as Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Domain Guard may indeed seem unnecessary in some scenarios. 2FA ensures that only authorised individuals have access to the account, fulfilling a large part of the security requirements.

However, Domain Guard provides additional protection at the system level, which can ensure the domain's security even in the event of a compromised customer account. For users requiring the highest level of security or owning valuable domains, the combination of 2FA and Domain Guard may still be worthwhile.

Our article is based on our own experiences and research, as well as information from external sources.

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Image credit:
Pete Linforth from Pixabay