Checklist: Domain Security Best Practices for IP Owners (Studios, Comics, Live Shows)

Protecting your IP online starts at the domain — a practical security checklist for studios, comics, and live shows

Hook: Your intellectual property fuels fan communities, merchandise sales, and licensing deals — but one domain hijack or expired registration can stop everything. For studio and entertainment IP owners in 2026, domain and hosting security is a production-level task: repeatable, monitored, and assigned to multiple trusted operators.

Executive summary — what to do first

Follow this prioritized checklist immediately. Each item is explained in the sections below with actionable steps you can implement this week.

• Lock and protect the registrar account: enable 2FA (hardware key preferred), enable transfer locks, verify registrant contact details, and enable WHOIS privacy where appropriate.
• Harden DNS: enable DNSSEC, delegate authoritative DNS to resilient providers, and use CDNs + WAFs at the edge.
• Access & identity: adopt RBAC, multi-admin break-glass, centralized secrets management, and rotate API tokens.
• Monitoring & alerts: live DNS change alerts, certificate transparency monitoring, domain expiry monitoring, and phishing/typo-squat detection.
• Backup & recovery: export zone files, store registrar auth codes securely, and test domain recovery workflows.

Why this matters in 2026

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw a rise in targeted domain and DNS attacks against high-value IP as entertainment ecosystems expanded across web, mobile, NFT storefronts, and live event ticketing. Threat actors increasingly exploit weak registrar access, expired domains, and misconfigured DNS to take over brand assets or route traffic to phishing stores.

At the same time, registrars and DNS providers have shipped stronger identity verification, API-driven access controls, and continuous monitoring options. Studios that treat domain security like release engineering — with CI, automation, and testable runbooks — are the ones who avoid outages and intellectual property loss.

Foundational checklist (operational priority)

1. Registrar account security — protect the root

• Enable strong 2FA — require hardware-backed tokens (FIDO2 / WebAuthn like YubiKey) for all admin accounts. TOTP is better than nothing, but hardware keys are the recommended baseline for IP owners.
• Use unique accounts per person — avoid shared logins. Tie actions to individuals for auditing.
• Limit recovery options — remove insecure email/SMS recovery paths; require multi-person approval for critical changes.
• Enable registrar transfer locks and set auto-renew for all high-value domains.
• Verify and lock registrant contact information with the registrar: inaccurate WHOIS data is the single biggest reason recovery processes fail.

2. WHOIS privacy and legal ownership

WHOIS privacy (registrant privacy) prevents casual scraping of contact info, reducing impersonation attacks against IP owners and their teams. But privacy services can complicate legal processes; maintain a documented chain of ownership internally and with legal counsel.

• Use WHOIS privacy for public-facing domains where appropriate, but keep canonical ownership records in a corporate ledger (signed and stored offsite).
• For enterprise registry services (e.g., ccTLDs with strict rules), work with legal to balance privacy with compliance.

3. Transfer protection and registrar contacts

• Set a domain transfer lock and log the lock state in your asset database.
• Record and securely store authorization (Auth/EPP) codes — treat these as secrets (store in your secrets manager with restricted access).
• Maintain an updated list of authorized registrars and a delegated account owner so transfers require at least two approvals (registrar + legal).

DNS & hosting — make DNS resilient and verifiable

4. Enable DNSSEC and validate chain-of-trust

DNSSEC prevents cache poisoning and authoritative record spoofing by cryptographically signing DNS records. In 2026 its adoption is broadly supported across major registrars and authoritative DNS providers — enabling DNSSEC is table stakes for IP owners.

• Enable DNSSEC at your authoritative DNS provider and add DS records at the registrar. Use strong keys and rotate them on a scheduled cadence (e.g., annually for KSK, quarterly for ZSK).
• Verify the chain-of-trust with tools like dig +dnssec, DNSViz, or your provider’s verification dashboard.
• Document your DS record publication process as code — treat key changes like deploys and include rollback steps.

Example verification command:

dig +dnssec +multi example.com SOA @ns1.exampledns.net

5. Use resilient authoritative DNS + multi-provider strategy

Avoid single-provider DNS dependency for flagship IP services. Options:

• Primary + secondary authoritative providers with zone synchronization (AXFR/IXFR or API-based replication).
• Provider diversity: one vendor for performance edge (CDN provider) and another for authoritative stability.
• Ensure all providers support DNSSEC if you enable it.

6. CDN, WAF, and origin protection

Put static marketing sites, ticketing pages, and API endpoints behind a CDN and WAF. Benefits include DDoS mitigation, TLS termination, and origin shielding. For IP owners, CDNs also simplify TLS certificate management and reduce direct exposure of origin servers.

• Use origin access restrictions: whitelist CDN IPs or use token-based origin authentication.
• Enable rate limiting and custom WAF rules for admin paths (e.g., /wp-admin, /cms).
• Automate certificate issuance with ACME where possible and monitor certificate expiry in CT logs.

Access, identity, and operational controls

7. Multi-admin access model and RBAC

Design access like a production deployment:

• Role-based access control (RBAC): limit who can edit DNS, who can request EPP codes, and who can transfer domains.
• Separation of duties: registrar settings changes require approval from operations + legal.
• Break-glass policy: a documented emergency process to transfer control when primary admins are unavailable, requiring multi-person verification.

8. Secure API keys and automation

Registrar and DNS APIs accelerate operations but are high-risk if leaked. Treat API keys as credentials:

• Store in a secrets manager (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, etc.) and restrict access via IAM policies.
• Use short-lived API tokens where supported and rotate keys frequently.
• Audit API usage with logging and anomaly detection.

9. Authentication for people — + hardware keys

• Mandate FIDO2/WebAuthn devices for all registrar and provider logins.
• Use enterprise SSO with conditional access policies (device compliance, IP range). Map roles to groups so access changes are automated through your identity provider.

Monitoring, detection, and incident response

10. DNS change monitoring and alerting

Detect unauthorized DNS changes early. Options:

• Provider-native DNS change webhooks + SIEM integration.
• External monitoring: compare DNS records from multiple recursive resolvers and alert on unexpected values.
• Sample simple check (run in CI or cron):

# sample: check A record matches expected
EXPECTED_IP=203.0.113.5
DIG_IP=$(dig +short example.com A @1.1.1.1)
if [ "$DIG_IP" != "$EXPECTED_IP" ]; then
  echo "DNS alert: example.com A changed to $DIG_IP" | mail -s "DNS Alert" secops@example.org
fi

11. Certificate transparency and CT monitoring

Monitor Certificate Transparency (CT) logs for unexpected TLS certificates. Use services like crt.sh (public) or commercial CT monitoring to get alerts when a new cert for your domain is issued.

12. Domain expiry and ownership monitoring

• Automate WHOIS checks and set multiple expiry alerts: 90, 30, 14, and 7 days out. Don’t rely on a single email — add phone/SMS + Slack alerts.
• Keep payment methods for auto-renewal current and monitor billing notifications.

13. Phishing and typo-squat surveillance

Set up monitoring for visually similar domains, common misspellings, and internationalized domain names (IDNs) that could impersonate your brand. Consider defensive registrations for key TLDs and known typos used by ticketing or merch buyers.

Email & authentication for brand communications

14. SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MTA-STS

Compromised brand email causes phishing. Use these to protect your email channel:

• SPF — declare sending IPs.
• DKIM — sign outgoing messages.
• DMARC — enforce policies and request forensic/aggregate reports.
• MTA-STS — ensures TLS for inbound mail delivery.

Backups, runbooks, and recovery

15. Zone file backups and tested restore

• Automate daily zone file exports from authoritative providers. Store encrypted copies offsite and verify integrity.
• Document the exact steps to re-delegate nameservers, publish DS records, and re-issue certificates. Test the process at least annually.

16. Store registrar credentials and Auth codes securely

Keep a small set of people authorized to retrieve EPP codes. Use your secrets manager and make retrieval an auditable action.

Legal, IP, and trademark coordination

17. Align domain strategy with trademarks and licensing

Register core trademarks and defensive domain names. When licensing IP to third parties, require contractual commitments around domain and DNS handling, reseller responsibilities, and transfer procedures.

18. Incident playbooks and legal contacts

• Maintain a playbook for domain compromise: include registrar contact, legal counsel, trademark agent, and WHOIS vendor contacts.
• Have an expedited process for UDRP or court actions if needed — but try to resolve via registrar before legal escalation.

Advanced strategies (2026+)

19. Use DANE for SMTP/TLS where viable

DANE (DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities) publishes TLS certificates or public keys in DNS via DNSSEC. In 2026, adoption is still niche but powerful for secure mail delivery between cooperating organizations (e.g., ticketing partners, distribution partners).

20. Automation & GitOps for DNS changes

Treat DNS like code: keep zone changes in a Git repo, run PR reviews, and apply changes through CI that pushes to providers via API. This creates an auditable trail and reduces manual mistakes.

Operational checklist — one-page actor-ready

1. Registrar: 2FA (FIDO), transfer lock, auto-renew — done
2. WHOIS privacy: enabled where safe — done
3. DNS: authoritative redundancy + DNSSEC — done
4. CDN/WAF: origin access & TLS automation — done
5. Access: RBAC + secrets manager + audit logs — done
6. Monitoring: CT, DNS change, expiry, typo-squat — done
7. Backup: zone export + auth codes stored — done
8. Playbook: incident contacts + legal — done

Practical examples — short playbooks

Example: Add DNSSEC via Cloudflare + registrar

1. Enable DNSSEC in Cloudflare dashboard (Account > DNS > DNSSEC).
2. Copy the DS record values and paste in registrar’s DS fields or submit via API.
3. Verify propagation with:

   dig +dnssec example.com DS

Example: Emergency transfer flow

1. Verify two approvers consent (ops + legal). Log decision in ticketing system.
2. Retrieve Auth/EPP code from secrets manager (audit retrieval).
3. Initiate transfer to pre-authorized registrar account. Confirm transfer lock disabled and re-enable after transfer.

2026 trends and future predictions

Expect these directions through 2027:

• Registrar hardening: more registrars will offer mandatory hardware 2FA for high-risk domains and adaptive authentication based on behavior.
• DNS automation & policy-as-code: DNS configuration will increasingly be managed via policy engines that prevent risky changes (e.g., removing DNSSEC without approval).
• Supply-chain awareness: DNS and domain controls will be included in IP licensing and M&A due diligence as core assets.
• Managed recovery services: third-party escrow and custodial registrar services tailored for entertainment IP will gain traction.

Security is not a checkbox — it's an operational discipline: treat domains like source code and apply the same controls, reviews, and monitoring.

Final actionable takeaways

• Do not rely on single-person control — implement multi-admin RBAC and a break‑glass procedure.
• Enable DNSSEC and authoritative redundancy now; test the validation chain.
• Protect registrar access with hardware 2FA and remove insecure recovery routes.
• Automate expiry checks, certificate monitoring, and DNS-change alerts so you find problems before fans do.
• Practice the recovery runbook at least annually — a rehearsed process saves weeks of downtime during an incident.

Call to action

Protecting your IP's domains and hosting requires engineering rigor and legal coordination. If you maintain transmedia IP — from comics to live shows — use this checklist to build a three-month plan and one-year roadmap. Start by scheduling a registrar security audit this week: gather account owners, enable hardware 2FA, and turn on DNSSEC. Need help operationalizing this checklist into runbooks, automation, and monitoring? Contact our security engineers at digitalhouse.cloud for a tailored domain-hardened program for entertainment IP owners.

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