Emergency Domain Recovery Who to Call First

The moment you realize your domain has been hijacked is often one of confusion, urgency, and rising panic. Your website is down or pointing to an unknown location, email services have stopped working, and your digital presence has effectively vanished overnight. In such a crisis, time is your most valuable resource. Every minute that passes gives the attacker more opportunity to entrench themselves, monetize your traffic, or damage your brand. Knowing exactly who to contact first can mean the difference between a swift recovery and a prolonged, painful ordeal. Emergency domain recovery is not a one-step process—it is a rapid sequence of strategic communications with the right people in the right order.

The very first entity you must contact is your domain registrar. This is the company through which your domain was originally registered and where the authoritative control panel for your domain’s configuration resides. The registrar has the technical and administrative power to freeze your domain, reverse unauthorized changes, and help you re-establish ownership. When contacting them, use their emergency support channels, which may include a dedicated phone number, high-priority email address, or live chat system. Clearly state that your domain has been hijacked, provide your account information, and request that they lock the domain immediately to prevent further modifications or transfers.

Speed is critical, so if the hijack has occurred within the last few days and the domain was transferred to another registrar, the original registrar may still be able to initiate a transfer dispute under ICANN’s Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy. This is especially effective during the five-day transfer grace period that many registrars observe. During this window, the registrar can attempt to cancel or roll back the unauthorized transfer. If the window has passed, the process becomes more complex, and you will likely need to escalate to other entities for support.

Once your registrar is aware and has taken action to lock the domain or start a recovery process, your next point of contact should be the new registrar—if the domain was moved. This is the entity now hosting the hijacked domain and, depending on their policies and jurisdiction, they may cooperate with the recovery effort. Provide them with evidence of your ownership, including past WHOIS records, invoices, confirmation emails, and account screenshots. Some registrars are known for being more responsive and cooperative than others, especially if the domain was transferred in bad faith and there is clear documentation of unauthorized access.

If neither registrar provides immediate relief, or if the situation escalates, it is advisable to contact ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN governs domain name policies and enforces registrar compliance worldwide. While ICANN does not directly control individual domains, they can intervene in disputes, investigate non-compliance by registrars, and provide official guidance on how to proceed. You can file a formal complaint through their website and request mediation, especially if you believe your registrar has failed to follow established protocols or has acted inappropriately.

In parallel to technical recovery efforts, you must also involve your internal IT and cybersecurity teams. Their role is to assess how the hijack occurred, secure any compromised systems or credentials, and begin restoring your digital infrastructure once access is regained. This includes resetting passwords, revoking API keys, scanning for malware, updating DNS configurations, and reissuing SSL certificates. The IT team can also preserve logs and forensic data that may be needed later for investigation or legal action.

Legal counsel should be brought in early, particularly if the domain is tied to a business, involves sensitive data, or has suffered reputational or financial harm. An attorney specializing in cybercrime or intellectual property can guide you through the proper steps to pursue legal remedies, draft formal requests to registrars, and prepare for potential litigation or domain dispute arbitration. If the domain was taken using falsified documents or fraudulent impersonation, legal representation is vital in proving your case and recovering the asset.

For high-value domains, or when registrars are unresponsive, it may be necessary to initiate a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) complaint through an ICANN-approved dispute resolution provider such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This is a formal legal process that allows trademark holders and original registrants to challenge unauthorized domain transfers. While it takes time, it is a recognized route for reclaiming a hijacked domain when direct negotiations and support tickets fail to produce results.

In cases where your domain was used to redirect visitors to malicious content, issue fraudulent emails, or impersonate your brand, you should notify relevant cybersecurity agencies or Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). In the United States, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) can be contacted. In other countries, national CERTs provide reporting channels for cyber incidents. These organizations may assist with threat tracking, remediation advice, or collaboration with hosting providers and law enforcement.

Additionally, if financial loss or data compromise has occurred, local or national law enforcement should be notified. Many jurisdictions have cybercrime divisions capable of investigating domain hijacking, particularly when it involves identity theft, extortion, or fraud. Filing a report not only strengthens your case but can also lead to recovery in conjunction with registrar and legal processes.

While emergency domain recovery is multi-faceted, having a pre-established incident response plan can streamline the process. Knowing the registrar’s emergency contact details, maintaining updated domain documentation, and assigning internal roles for communication, technical response, and legal handling allows your organization to act quickly and decisively under pressure.

Ultimately, when your domain is hijacked, calling the right entities in the correct order—your registrar, then the new registrar if needed, followed by ICANN, legal counsel, cybersecurity teams, and law enforcement—ensures that every aspect of recovery is addressed. In the critical hours after a hijack, clarity of action and authoritative support can mean the difference between permanent loss and complete restoration.

The moment you realize your domain has been hijacked is often one of confusion, urgency, and rising panic. Your website is down or pointing to an unknown location, email services have stopped working, and your digital presence has effectively vanished overnight. In such a crisis, time is your most valuable resource. Every minute that passes…