Domain Monitoring

Phishing attacks need domains. Attackers register domains that look like yours, build convincing fake login pages, and trick your employees and customers into handing over their passwords. Domain monitoring spots typosquatting domains before campaigns launch.

Why Is Domain Monitoring Important?

According to IBM’s Cost of Data Breach Report, phishing is the top initial attack vector at 16% of breaches. Many of these attacks deliver infostealer malware to capture credentials.

Here’s the thing: phishing attacks need domains. Attackers register domains that look like yours, build convincing fake login pages, and trick your employees and customers into handing over their passwords.

Here’s why you need domain monitoring:

• Catch Phishing Attacks Early: You spot look-alike domains before attackers can use them. That fake “yourcompany-login.com” gets flagged the day it’s registered, not after 500 employees enter their credentials.
• Protect Your Brand: Attackers register domains similar to yours to run scams. This is a core part of digital risk protection. You find these domains and take them down before customers get fooled.
• Keep Customer Trust: When you proactively remove fraudulent domains, your customers don’t fall victim to scams impersonating your brand. That’s trust you can’t buy back once it’s lost.

How Does Domain Monitoring Work?

Domain monitoring covers several key areas:

1. Registration Monitoring: You watch for new domain registrations that look like yours. When someone registers “yourcompany-secure.com” or “yourc0mpany.com”, you know about it immediately. This catches typosquatting and phishing attempts before attackers can use them.
2. DNS Monitoring: You track all DNS record changes for your domains. If someone hijacks your DNS and redirects traffic, you get alerted immediately.
3. WHOIS Monitoring: You watch your domain’s ownership records. Unauthorized changes to WHOIS data can signal someone trying to steal your domain.
4. SSL Certificate Monitoring: You track certificate expiry dates. Expired certificates break your applications and create security warnings that train users to ignore real threats.

Real-World Examples of Domain-Based Attacks

These aren’t theoretical threats. Here’s what happens when domain monitoring fails:

• Netnod (2018-2019): Netnod runs one of the 13 root DNS servers that keep the internet working. Attackers sent unauthorized EPP instructions to registries, hijacked their DNS, and redirected traffic to capture sensitive data. They even disabled DNSSEC long enough to obtain SSL certificates for Netnod’s email servers. Domain monitoring would have caught the DNS changes immediately.

• Google Vietnam (2015): Lizard Squad hijacked Google Vietnam’s DNS, redirecting visitors to their own page. Beyond the embarrassment, attackers had access to any sensitive data users sent to the hijacked domain. DNS monitoring catches these changes in minutes, not hours.

• OCBC Bank (2021): Attackers hit Singapore’s OCBC Bank customers with SMS phishing, stealing S$8.5 million from 469 customers over three weeks. The attackers used spoofed messages and fraudulent domains. OCBC shut down 45 phishing websites, but attackers kept registering new ones. Continuous domain registration monitoring catches these domains the moment they’re created.

Benefits of Domain Monitoring

• Catch Threats Before An Attack: You identify suspicious domains and DNS changes before attackers can use them. Combined with dark web monitoring, you can even detect when attackers discuss targeting your domains on criminal forums.
• Respond Faster: Automated alerts mean your team knows about threats in minutes, not days. You shut down phishing domains before they collect thousands of credentials.
• Meet Compliance Requirements: Financial services, healthcare, and other regulated industries require proactive cybersecurity measures. Domain monitoring helps you demonstrate due diligence.

How to Get Started with Domain Monitoring

Here’s how to get started:

• Know What You’re Protecting: List your domains, subdomains, and brand variations. You can’t monitor what you don’t know about. Include common misspellings and variations attackers might target.
• Pick Your Tools: You need tools that track new domain registrations, DNS changes, TLS certificates, and WHOIS data. Look for solutions that monitor registration databases for domains similar to yours.
• Set Up Alerts: Configure alerts for look-alike domains, DNS record changes, and WHOIS modifications. Don’t drown in noise. Focus on high-confidence threats that need immediate action.
• Connect to Your Security Stack: Feed domain monitoring alerts into your SIEM. Your team should handle domain threats alongside other security incidents. Create incident response procedures specifically for domain-based threats.
• Monitor Continuously: Audit your domain portfolio regularly. Keep your asset inventory current. Integrate data breach monitoring to catch leaked employee credentials. Attackers use stolen credentials to make unauthorized DNS and WHOIS changes.

Best Practices for Domain Monitoring

• Watch for Variations: Monitor common misspellings and character substitutions (0 for O, 1 for l). These are the first things attackers register.
• Go Global: If you operate internationally, monitor your brand across country-code TLDs. Attackers register “yourcompany.co.uk” or “yourcompany.de” to target regional customers.
• Lock Your Domains: Enable domain locking and registry lock at your registrar. This prevents unauthorized transfers even if attackers compromise your registrar credentials.
• Never Miss Renewals: Track domain expiration dates religiously. A lapsed domain gets snatched by attackers within hours. Set up auto-renewal and multiple reminders.