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What is DNSSEC?

DNSSEC, or Domain Name System Security Extensions, is an Internet security protocol that helps reduce the chance that visitors to your  website are led to fake webpage if they type your web address, protected with DNSSEC technology, into their browser.

How it works

When you look up a domain name, or URL, this process involves a set of questions and answers whenever your browser issues a request to find the website it is looking for. But can your browser trust the answer it receives? How does it know the answer hasn't been modified by a third party?

With DNSSEC, browsers and name servers can check whether the answers they receive are authentic. This means that there is a smaller chance that Internet users can be redirected to ill-intentioned websites.

DNSSEC works by checking answers at each level of the Internet infrastructure, called the Domain Name System, or DNS. Each level of the infrastructure vouches for the level above through what is known as a "chain of trust".

Please note that not all registrars currently offer this service.

Security vault

What are the "Registry Lock" and “Registrar Lock” Services?

The Registry Lock Service can be used to provide a greater level of safety for domain names. It is intended to mitigate potential unintended changes, deletions or transfers. With the Registry Lock Service, you can take advantage of the greatest level of security for your most valuable and highly visible domain names.

Registrar Lock Service will also protect your domain name from accidental changes, but the difference to the Registry Lock is that a locked domain name can still be transferred with an authorisation code received via My .eu account or with an emergency authorisation code received from EURid.

You cannot use both services at the same time. Registry Lock will always overpower the Registrar Lock service.

To learn more and to take advantage of our Lock Services, please contact your registrar, who will be able to confirm whether they offer these type of services. You can search the list of accredited registrars by language, country, or service.

quality measure

DNSQuality Score

The DNSQuality score is a feature developed by EURid. It is a visual reflection of the quality of the DNS (Domain Name System) setup of a given domain name.

EURid performs weekly, technical checks on every active domain name, calculating a new DNSQuality Score each week via a sequence of tests. These tests are performed for every domain name which has at least one linked name server and an ‘In Use’ status. Each test conducted allocates a certain number of points, and the total number of points is calculated into a DNSQuality score expressed as a percentage. Tests include:

  • Whether a domain name is reachable over IPv4 and IPv6;
  • Whether all of the name servers linked to the domain name are responsive;
  • Whether the domain name is enabled with the ‘Domain Name Security Extensions’ (DNSSEC).

Domain name holders can look-up the DNSQuality scores of domain names which they have registered via their ‘My .eu’ account.

Why is it so important that the DNS is configured correctly?

  • So that the services linked to your domain names will always be reachable (i.e. website, email address);
  • So that the services linked to your domain names will function with higher security.

For a full list of the tests, and for more information about the DNSQuality Score, please refer to the ‘My .eu’ manual.