A WHOIS domain search is an online utility that everyone can use to conduct a domain name search. When a search is conducted, private information about the domain name can be found. Such information can be useful for several parties.
The webmaster.
As the webmaster of the website, you can do a WHOIS search to find out if the domain name servers have been updated. Usually, a DNS change takes just several hours. In rare cases, it can take up to 48 hours. When the update is completed, the primary and secondary DNS will show up in the search results. This is a clear indication that the update has been completed.
The domain name buyer.
An individual may be interested in a domain name, but the name is already registered. By conducting a WHOIS search, the interested buyer can find out when the domain is expiring. He may then try to buy the domain if it's not renewed. Alternatively, he may try to contact the domain owner directly by writing an email to the owner. Contact information is available with the search.
The spammer.
Spammers like to conduct WHOIS search to harvest email addresses. They then send unsolicited emails to these addresses in an attempt to market some product or service. The act of sending a spam email is illegal. Still, thousands of spam emails go out everyday because it is very hard for the authorities to catch up with the spammers.
The hackers.
This malicious group of individuals make a WHOIS search to find out where a website is hosted (based on the DNS). They then try to attack the servers. One popular method include a DDOS attack. Hackers send data packets to the servers until the servers slow down to a crawl. If protection software is not installed, the server can be crippled for hours.
As you can see, some people use the information for commercial purposes, while others use it for malicious purposes. You want to avoid attracting attention from the spammers and hackers. The only way you can do that, is to protect your domain name information. You can do so by signing up for domain privacy. This requires you to pay a small fee, but if you don't want to reveal your personal details, it's a useful little feature.
After you have signed up for the feature, your information will not be revealed in a WHOIS search. All the server info, personal emails and addresses will be kept private and confidential. This is one measure you can take to ensure that your website stays secure. For someone who intends to do mischief on your site, they will have problems acquiring the necessary information.
Protecting personal information is important and it entails the safety of you and your family members. So paying a small fee for the domain privacy may be worth it.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3278247
No comments:
Post a Comment