{"id":4651,"date":"2015-06-26T10:17:23","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T14:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acro.net\/blog\/?p=4651"},"modified":"2015-06-26T10:17:23","modified_gmt":"2015-06-26T14:17:23","slug":"you-think-whois-privacy-deters-domain-theft-attempts-think-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acro.net\/blog\/you-think-whois-privacy-deters-domain-theft-attempts-think-again\/","title":{"rendered":"You think WHOIS privacy deters domain theft attempts ? Think again."},"content":{"rendered":"

The current counter-argument that domains with WHOIS shield on are protected from theft, is outright weak.<\/p>\n

While the privacy of a registrant’s info is much more respected outside of the US and the original com\/net\/org triad of TLDs, there is a false perception that by masking that information a domain is safer.<\/p>\n

ICANN mandates that all Registrars ensure the WHOIS info of domains is accurate, and there are certain repercussions if it isn’t.<\/p>\n

WHOIS shield or privacy still operates as before: emails sent to a masked or obfuscated address still get delivered. And that’s all that a domain thief needs to initiate an attempt at transferring a domain unlawfully.<\/p>\n

Yesterday and today, I spent a good amount of time thwarting an attempt by a person to transfer one of my domains away from my possession. They initiated a transfer to 1&1<\/strong><\/a>, a domain Registrar that has localized offices around the world.<\/p>\n

It is unknown at this time, why a transfer was initiated and an email was dispatched, without an authorization code, as mandated by ICANN. It appears to be a glitch with the particular registrar, 1&1, or their localized portal, which permitted such an attempt. My domain’s current registrar, Name.com<\/strong><\/a>, confirmed that there has been no info leakage or access of my account. I also have two way authentication enabled, a great feature.<\/p>\n

The only positive thing in this case is that 1&1 included in the authorization email, the full name and address of the individual who initiated the transfer.<\/p>\n

The cherry on the pie: The same person contacted me earlier this year via Domain Name Sales, to acquire the domain on the basis that “there is nothing there.”<\/p>\n

I ignore such inquiries, and they got no response from me at the time, but they will soon find out what are the consequences of attempting to hijack a domain name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The current counter-argument that domains with WHOIS shield on are protected from theft, is outright weak. While the privacy of a registrant’s info is much more respected outside of the US and the original com\/net\/org triad of TLDs, there is a false perception that by masking that information a domain is safer. ICANN mandates that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1170,1169,1145],"class_list":["post-4651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-domains","tag-1170","tag-auth-code","tag-whois-privacy","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nYou think WHOIS privacy deters domain theft attempts ? Think again.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You think WHOIS privacy deters domain theft attempts ? 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