Canadian organizations have a wide choice of domains to chose from. To keep the .ca domain at the top of their minds the Canadian Internet Registration Authority has been creating products to make sure it is top of mind.
The latest is Registry Lock, a way of providing an additional layer of security for any Website.
The capability locks a domain name at the registry level. Any request by an attacker to have the domain name redirected, its information altered or its ownership transferred to another party can’t go ahead without verification through the domain’s sponsoring registrar and CIRA.
In order to perform updates to a locked .ca domain name, a series of specific person-to-person authentication and verification protocols must be followed.
CIRA said in a statement that Registry Lock will be value to high-traffic, high-transaction websites, such as e-commerce or financial services sites, that regularly deal with large volumes of personal and confidential consumer information.
“Imagine a bank, a government agency or other trusted organization losing control of their domain, even if only for a short time,” CIRA chief executive Byron Holland said in a statement. “The impact on these businesses and all their users is significant. Registry Lock is the single best way for domain holders to protect themselves, and their customers, from this kind of malicious activity.”
Current .ca users can secure their domains by going to the .ca Marketplace and selecting Registry Lock under Advanced Services. There is a fee for the service, which is set by each registrar.
Registry Lock is available to .ca domain name holders through certified registrars. Webnames.ca is the first public-facing registrar that will offer the service.
“Webnames.ca manages the domain portfolios of some of the country’s biggest brands. We pride ourselves in offering a full suite of services to our customers, and we are pleased to be industry leaders in securing .ca domain names with Registry Lock,” Webnames.ca CEO Cybele Negris, said in a statement. “It is critical for us that we provide .ca domain name holders – and their users – with the highest level of protection against a range of malicious attacks, including domain hijacking.”