Blessed Sitting Duck, Who Left Domains Defenceless

Patron of domain names, abandoned DNS delegations, and those who never check who runs their name.

Life

In 2024 researchers at Infoblox and Eclypsium, reported by Brian Krebs, described Sitting Duck, a domain-hijacking technique. When a domain delegates its DNS management to a provider but the configuration is left incomplete or abandoned, an attacker can claim it at that provider and take control of the name without ever touching its owner. A still, defenceless duck, hence the name: whole forgotten digital estates, ready to be picked up.

Prayer

O Blessed Sitting Duck, who gathers up the domains left alone, teach us to watch over whoever manages our names. Amen.

How to celebrate

Celebrated by checking your domains' DNS delegations, removing unused ones and choosing providers that prevent abusive claims.

A domain left alone is a duck for the hunter.