Protecting/Locking a Domain Name

Domain Theft Protection (Anchor: theft) feature helps ensure that your domain name remains safe from illegal domain name transfers. Enabling Theft Protection on your domain name will result in a Transfer (Away) Request for this domain name to another Registrar to fail at the Registry itself.

Exceptions 

Note
  • This feature is not available for the following TLDs (domain name extensions) on account of restrictions imposed by the Registry:

    • Due to restrictions imposed by the Registry:

      • .AU

      • .DE

      • .ES

      • .EU

      • .FR

      • .NL

      • .NZ

      • .RU

      • .UK

    • Due to other restrictions:

  • If you wish to have your domain name transferred away from MessaHost for some reason, you need to first disable the Theft Protection and then place a Transfer request at the Registrar of your choice.

  • Depending upon whether the Theft Protection service is available for a domain name or not, the Order Information view of the domain name will display the Theft Protection status, under the Order Information section as:

    • Enabled (Green circle): indicates that the Theft Protection service has been turned on for your domain name and any request to Transfer the domain name to another Registrar will fail.

    • Disabled (Grey circle): indicates that the Theft Protection service has been turned off for your domain name and your domain name can be transferred away to another Registrar.

For Customers

To Enable/Disable Theft Protection for a domain name:

  1. Login to your Customer Control Panel, search for the domain name and proceed to the Order Information view. See details

  2. Click the Theft Protection link.

    • To Enable Theft Protection: select the Enable button.

    • To Disable Theft Protection: select the Disable button.

  3. Click the Update Theft Protection Status button.

Error 

Attention

You will encounter the below error message in case the domain name is Locked/Suspended at the Registry (and not under our system):

Domain Status does not allow this operation.

In this case you are requested to contact our Support Team at https://support.messahost.com to know, the reason for the Lock/Suspension and how the Lock/Suspension may be removed.

For Resellers

To Enable/Disable Theft Protection

Follow the steps below to enable/disable Theft Protection for a domain name:

  1. Login to your Reseller Control Panel, search for the domain name and proceed to the Order Information view. See details

  2. Click the Theft Protection link.

    • To Enable Theft Protection: select the Enable button.

    • To Disable Theft Protection: select the Disable button.

  3. Click the Update Theft Protection Status button.

Conditions 

Note
  • Theft Protection can be enabled/disabled by anyone in the entire Reseller chain.

    Examples:

    • A Customer under your Sub-Reseller registers a domain name and the Theft Protection gets enabled by default. This service can be disabled by you, your Sub-Reseller as well as the Customer.

    • Irrespective of who disabled the service, it can be enabled by you, your Sub-Reseller as well as the Customer.

    • Irrespective of who enabled the service, it can be disabled by you, your Sub-Reseller as well as the Customer.

  • Theft Protection, for a domain name Locked by you, may be enabled/disabled only by you.

  • Theft Protection, for a domain name Locked by your Sub-Reseller, may be enabled/disabled by you as well as your Sub-Reseller.

  • Theft Protection cannot be enabled / disabled at any level for a Suspended domain name.

 

Error 

 

Attention

You will encounter the below error message in case the domain name is Locked/Suspended at the Registry (and not under our system):

Domain Status does not allow this operation.

In this case you are requested to contact our Support Team at https://support.messahost.com to know, the reason for Lock/Suspension and how the Lock/Suspension may be removed.

Locking/Unlocking a Domain Name (Anchor: lock-unlock)

Apart from enabling Theft protection for a domain name, you may also place a Lock on it. Applying a Lock on any domain name, has the following effects:

  • When you place a Lock on a domain name, all actions available for domain names may still be performed by only you or MessaHost.

    Types of Actions possible from the Order Information view:

    • Modifying Contact Details,

    • Modifying Name Servers,

    • Registering and managing Child Name Servers,

    • Enabling / disabling Theft Protection,

    • Suspending / Unsuspending a domain name,

    • Moving / Pushing / Transferring a domain name internally to another Customer Account, etc.

  • A Transfer (Away) Request for this domain name to another Registrar will fail at the Registry itself and will not be allowed (also supported by Theft Protection.)

    Note

    Locking domain names in the following TLDs would not prevent Transferring it:

    • .AU

    • .RU

It is advised that you Lock a domain name only in case of some payment-related issue with your Customer or if the domain name is for your own use. In all other cases enabling Theft Protection would suffice.

Exceptions 

Note
  • The Lock feature is not supported for domain names under the following extensions:

    • Due to restrictions imposed by the Registry:

      • .DE

      • .ES

      • .EU

      • .NL

      • .NZ

      • .UK

    • Due to other restrictions:

  • Domain Locking differs from Theft Protection as detailed below:

    • A domain name Locked by you, can only be Unlocked by you or MessaHost.

    • You will not be able to Unlock a domain name locked by MessaHost.

    • A Customer can not Unlock a domain name under any circumstance.

To Lock/Unlock a Domain Name

  1. Login to your Reseller Control Panel, search for the domain name and proceed to the Order Information view. See details

  2. Click the Lock / Suspend link.

  3. On the following page:

    • To Lock the domain name: select the Lock radio button, enter the reason for Locking and click the Update button.

    • To Unlock the domain name: select the No Restriction radio button and click the Update button.