Domain Watch

Domain Watch is an anti-phishing initiative to further increase the security of the .UK zone and protect .UK end users from malicious phishing activity. Following the introduction of Domain Health – a free service for registrars to reduce the levels of abuse in .UK – our analysis has shown that a large proportion of the technical abuse seen relates to phishing activity. In response, we are piloting Domain Watch, to quickly identify and suspend newly registered domains that are obvious phishing attempts.

Domain Watch complements other registrar tools and measures in place to maintain a robust and secure .UK, including Domain Health, Domain Lock and Two-Factor Authentication for registrars.

Process

  • Domain Watch analyses domains using technical algorithms and manual intervention
  • For any suspended domains, Registrars will receive a workflow commenced message (type: notification reason: <msg>Domain Watch process commenced notification</msg>) via the usual channels (EPP and/or email – notification settings can be set within Online Services on a per tag basis)
  • If a domain is suspended, the registrant will receive an email informing them what has happened, together with the next steps required if they feel the suspension was not correctly applied
  • Domains that are suspended by Domain Watch will only be unsuspended if the registrant is able to confirm the legitimate use of the domain to our satisfaction

For more information about our tools that are available to help all .UK registrars to combat cybercrime on domains managed by them, or if you have any questions, please contact us on [email protected] or +44 (0) 330 236 9480.

Minerva House, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, OX4 4DQ, United Kingdom