Is Your Brand at Risk Online? What You Need to Know About Domain Blocking and Fraud Prevention
Leona Chen-Birkner | March 03, 2025
Leona is the Senior Business Development Manager at Brand Safety Alliance, the company behind GlobalBlock — an innovative solution that delivers unmatched online brand protection across 600+ domain extensions in a single transaction. With nearly two decades of extensive experience in the domain name industry, Leona works closely with IP professionals, brand experts and domain registrars worldwide. Leona has a strong background working in technology organizations in both North America and Asia. In addition to English, she speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese.
Introduction
The internet is a double-edged sword for businesses. While it provides limitless opportunities to expand and connect with consumers, it also creates vulnerabilities that bad actors can exploit.
Domain blocking is one of the most powerful tools for protecting your brand online—yet many businesses aren’t using it. Instead, companies often rely on defensive domain registrations, registering variations of their brand name to prevent misuse. But as the internet expands, this approach becomes costly, time-consuming, and difficult to manage. Domain blocking offers a smarter, more efficient alternative by preventing bad actors from registering harmful domains in the first place.
This guide will break down how domain blocking works, compare it to other prevention strategies, and help you determine the best approach to safeguard your brand against fraud, phishing, and cybersquatting.
What Is Domain Blocking?
Domain blocking is a registry-level security measure that prevents specific domain names from being registered or used by fraudulent actors. Unlike defensive domain registration, where businesses register multiple variations of their brand name to guard against misuse, domain blocking offers a more effective solution by removing domains from the market entirely before they can be registered. By blocking a domain at the registry level, brands gain control over their online identity by ensuring that no one else can register potentially harmful or confusing domains related to their name or trademark. This proactive approach prevents the domain from being used for malicious purposes such as cybersquatting, phishing, or brand impersonation.
Initially introduced in 2011 by ICM Registry to offer brands blocking across the adult .xxx extension, domain blocking has since expanded to cover a broader range of domain extensions. Today, businesses can block domains across various TLDs (top-level domains) and customize their protection based on their specific needs, whether it’s to avoid association with certain extensions or to secure their brand from emerging cyber threats. By placing blocked domains in a restricted status, these domains are effectively quarantined at the registry level, preventing them from being used for websites, emails, or other online services. This provides a higher level of security, reducing the administrative burden and risks associated with managing a brand’s domain portfolio.
Why Should Brands Care About Domain Blocking?
Automated Brand Protection at Scale
A brand’s online identity is essential for preserving customer trust and credibility. If a malicious actor registers a domain that closely resembles a company’s brand, they can use it to deceive customers, distribute malware, or conduct phishing attacks.
While brands can file a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) proceeding to challenge the domain and have it returned, the process can cost as much as USD $5,500 to contest up to five domains, in addition to legal fees. Furthermore, a UDRP dispute typically takes about two months to resolve, which is enough time for the domain to be exploited for malicious purposes. Despite this, the number of UDRP filings has steadily increased over the past three years, with 16,743 cases filed from 2021-2023 compared to 11,344 filings from 2018-2020, according to WIPO statistics. This trend highlights the challenges brands face with reactive protection measures.
Domain blocking offers a proactive solution by preventing threats at scale. There are several domain blocking products on the market, and each offers a different level of TLD coverage and service features. One of the biggest draws of domain blocking, is that by subscribing to one of these services your brand can be automatically blocked in dozens or hundreds of domain extensions in a single transaction, ensuring that potentially harmful domains are never available.
Resource Savings Compared to Defensive Registrations
Historically, businesses have attempted to protect their brands by registering multiple domain variations. However, with more than 1,500 domain extensions available as of December 2024, this strategy has become increasingly difficult to maintain—both financially and logistically. Domain blocking provides a more cost-effective and streamlined alternative by eliminating the need for managing multiple registrations and renewals.
Simplified Brand Protection Strategy
Managing a large portfolio of domains can be complex and time-consuming, especially as businesses expand their digital presence and acquire multiple domain names across various extensions. As business grows, the need to secure multiple domain names across different TLDs (top-level domains) also increases, and it can become overwhelming to keep track of all the potential threats. Each domain requires careful monitoring to ensure that malicious actors do not register similar or misleading domains that could harm the brand’s reputation or security. Additionally, businesses must manage renewals, track expiration dates, and respond to domain disputes, all of which can be cumbersome, particularly for companies that own hundreds or even thousands of domains.
Domain blocking offers a streamlined solution to this challenge by providing an automated way to secure a brand’s digital identity across various domain extensions. Instead of needing to manually monitor each potential domain registration, domain blocking allows businesses to proactively block domains that are confusingly similar to their brand name, preventing any malicious intent. By automating this process, domain blocking eliminates the need for constant intervention and oversight, saving businesses both time and resources.
How Can Brands Implement Domain Blocking?
Step 1: Assess Your Vulnerability
Before implementing a domain blocking strategy, businesses need to understand their current risks. Brands can use this free Vulnerability Reporting Tool to help identify existing threats and assess where protection is needed most. The Vulnerability Report will tell you key items like how many domains can be blocked to protect your IP, and what domains can’t be blocked due to prior registrations.
Step 2: Identify Key Domains to Block
Businesses should evaluate which domain extensions pose the highest risk based on industry, brand recognition, and past cyber threats. Some industries, such as finance, healthcare, and e-commerce, are more frequently targeted and may require broader protection.
Step 3: Choose a Domain Blocking Solution
Various domain blocking services are available, each designed to provide different levels of protection based on the types of domains a brand is most concerned about. Some services offer comprehensive coverage, blocking domains across hundreds of domain extensions (TLDs), providing a wide-reaching defense against potential brand impersonation, fraud, and cyber threats. This kind of service is ideal for companies looking to secure their online identity across a broad spectrum of domains, ensuring that no similar domains are available for malicious actors to exploit.
Other services focus on more specific categories of TLDs, targeting areas where a brand is most vulnerable. For example, some services specialize in blocking adult-themed domains, which are often used for malicious purposes such as pornography or scams that can harm a brand’s reputation. The variety of services allows businesses to customize their domain protection based on their particular needs, blocking only the most relevant domains for their brand while potentially reducing costs.
Make sure you select a Domain Blocking Solution that best meets your current and future business needs. Consider factors like the range of domain extensions covered, the level of customization available for targeting specific types of domains, and the scalability of the solution to adapt to your brand’s evolving needs, especially as new domain extensions continue to be released. Additionally, evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the service, as well as the reputation and reliability of the provider, to ensure that your online identity remains secure both now and as the digital landscape grows.
Step 4: Implement and Monitor
Once a domain blocking service is in place, businesses should continue to monitor their brand’s digital presence. Regular audits, cybersecurity assessments, and employee training can further enhance brand protection efforts.
The Growing Threat of Domain Abuse
Brand impersonation and domain abuse are escalating issues. As businesses expand their online presence, managing domain names becomes increasingly complex. With the increasing number of new domains registered daily, companies must consider the potential risks associated with brand variations and unauthorized use of their domain. This is where domain blocking can make a significant difference.
Tools like the Vulnerability Report can provide valuable insights into where a business may be at risk, helping to identify which domains need to be blocked. With a comprehensive domain blocking strategy in place, businesses can simplify domain management, safeguard their online identity, and mitigate potential risks with a more proactive approach.
As new domain extensions continue to be introduced to the internet, domain blocking will remain a valuable tool for businesses looking to stay ahead of emerging threats. Implementing domain blocking today ensures that brands are prepared for tomorrow’s challenges, maintaining control over their digital identity and safeguarding their online presence for the future.