Secure your website domain before you lose it!

From 20 September 2022 there is a new direct .au domain available to existing owners of websites with .com.au, .net.au or .org.au domain names.

The existing owners have until the above date to register their priority allocation before the domains are released to the general public.

Further detail can be found below.

Anyone with an Australian presence (including businesses, organisations and individuals) can now register a new category of domain name, known as .au direct. These shorter simpler domain names will end in simply '.au' (e.g. mybusiness.au) and will complement existing namespaces such as 'com.au', 'net.au', 'org.au', 'asn.au', 'id.au', 'gov.au' and 'edu.au'.

This new option for domain names creates opportunities for businesses, organisations and individuals, however, could also provide another opportunity for cybercriminals, such as by facilitating fraudulent activity like business email compromise. For example, by registering yourbusiness.au where you have already registered yourbusiness.com.au in order to impersonate your business.

If you missed the news, any business owner who currently possesses a '.com.au' or similar domain name fails to register a priority under the new direct '.au' domain by the deadline, their .au domain equivalent will be available to the general public.

The largest and most obvious consequence of this would be third parties seizing possession of the domains, and then holding your business at ransom until you pay large amounts to secure the domain, or using the domain to deface your business on line.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends that all Australian businesses, organisations and individuals consider taking advantage of the priority allocation process to register the .au direct equivalents of their existing domain names. In cases where conflicts occur, such as when different organisations own similar domain names (e.g. mybusiness.com.au and mybusiness.net.au), priority allocation will help to determine who is able to register their .au direct equivalent.

We suggest all business owners assess whether they need to register a priority .au domain prior to the deadline.

If you require assistance registering your domain, please do not hesitate to contact your Hall Chadwick adviser who will be able to assist.