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AI makes it faster to create convincing websites and messages—and easier to imitate a legitimate organization. A domain is therefore both a customer-facing brand asset and part of an organization’s security posture, but no extension or domain name alone proves that a site or message is genuine. Protecting digital trust means managing the full domain portfolio, securing DNS and account access, and helping customers verify official communications.
Why domains matter more in the age of AI
A domain name appears in more places than a website address: customers may encounter it in email, advertising, search results, portals, and other communications. Those touchpoints work together to signal identity. A scattered or poorly managed domain portfolio can make it harder for people to recognize official channels and easier for an imitator to exploit confusion.
Generative AI can help create polished copy, branding, and cloned online experiences at scale. That raises the credibility and potential reach of impersonation. However, the available evidence does not establish a universal causal figure for how much AI has increased malicious domain registrations or reduced consumer trust. Treat AI as an added capability for attackers, not as a quantified explanation for every domain-abuse trend.
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What the available figures do—and do not—show
Two reported findings illustrate concern about the threat, but neither should be mistaken for a universal measurement of AI-driven domain abuse:
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- In its 2025 survey release, cybersecurity company CSC said 98% of its 300 surveyed CISOs, CIOs, and senior IT professionals in Europe, the UK, North America, and Asia Pacific expected a surge in cyberattacks over the following three years. CSC also reported that 87% of respondents identified AI-powered domain generation algorithms as a direct threat. These are survey respondents’ expectations and perceptions, not independently measured attack prevalence. CSC’s CISO Outlook 2025 survey release.
- ICANN’s October 6, 2026 announcement reported that 56.4% of the maliciously registered generic top-level domains (gTLDs) in its study sample had at least one associated domain. That figure describes the study sample, not all malicious registrations or the internet as a whole; ICANN said it planned further validation and empirical work. ICANN’s study announcement.
The figures answer different questions: CSC reported what its respondents anticipated or perceived, while ICANN reported a sample-specific analysis of associated domains. Neither establishes a general causal estimate of AI’s impact.
How to manage a domain portfolio as a brand and security asset
Choose a clear primary identity
Use a primary domain that is memorable, consistent with the organization’s name, and practical across customer communications. Additional extensions can make sense for a region, campaign, or product when they genuinely improve clarity. Buying extensions just because they are fashionable adds management work without automatically adding trust. A familiar extension such as .com—or a branded extension—does not by itself establish authenticity.
Keep a usable inventory
Maintain a central record for every domain the organization controls. Include its owner, business purpose, registrar, DNS provider, renewal date, responsible team, and dependencies such as websites, email, or customer portals. Review inactive campaigns and registrations that have expired, become orphaned, or no longer have a clear business purpose. Untracked assets can be overlooked during renewals or leave uncertainty about who is responsible for them.
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Watch for registrations that resemble the organization’s name, official domains, or key product names, including misspellings and relevant extensions. Establish who reviews alerts, how suspected abuse is assessed, and who coordinates any response. Public registration and DNS infrastructure data can help analysts identify associations, but an association is a lead for investigation, not proof of wrongdoing. ICANN’s published analysis remains subject to the further validation it announced.
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Coordinate ownership across teams
Domain governance crosses organizational boundaries. Brand and marketing teams understand naming and customer-facing use; IT manages registration and DNS; security monitors abuse and incident response; and legal handles rights and enforcement. Assigning these responsibilities explicitly helps prevent gaps—for example, a renewal decision made without knowing that a domain still supports customer email.
How DNS security supports digital trust
The Domain Name System (DNS) translates domain names into IP addresses, but its role in security is broader than that lookup. NIST’s March 19, 2026 announcement of the final SP 800-81r3, Secure Domain Name System (DNS) Deployment Guide, says DNS “plays an integral role in every organization’s security posture.” NIST also says DNS “can serve as an enforcement point for enterprise security policy and an indicator of potential malicious activity on a network.” The guide addresses DNS in zero-trust access decisions, authoritative DNS integrity and authenticity using DNSSEC, and the confidentiality of recursive DNS queries.
What DNSSEC can protect
DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) add authentication and integrity protection to DNS data. In practical terms, DNSSEC helps a validating resolver check that DNS answers have not been altered in transit and are associated with the relevant DNS zone. Organizations should assess whether and how to deploy it as part of their DNS security plan, using NIST’s guide as a deployment reference. NIST’s High Assurance Domains program information also discusses DNSSEC, DANE, and trust infrastructures.
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DNSSEC does not certify that a website’s content is honest, that a business is legitimate, or that a message is safe to follow. A correctly signed DNS record can direct a user to a domain whose owner is deceptive or whose site is compromised. DNSSEC is one control in a broader trust and security system, not a standalone anti-phishing guarantee.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Make official communications easier to verify
Use domains consistently across websites, email, customer portals, advertising, and social profiles. Tell staff and customers which domains are official and what they should expect from legitimate messages. Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report 2026 describes how synthetic content complicates trust and says, “This shifts the security model from implicit trust toward explicit verification.” That principle is useful beyond AI-generated content: people should have a reliable way to check a communication instead of judging legitimacy by polish or familiarity alone.
What to review when evaluating domain or DNS services
If you compare registrars, managed DNS providers, portfolio-monitoring services, or enterprise brand-protection tools, use operational criteria rather than assuming that a particular provider or extension confers trust. Useful questions include:
- Can the service maintain a reliable inventory and support bulk management?
- What DNSSEC and other DNS security controls are available?
- How are account identity, access, transfers, and recovery protected?
- What renewal reminders and expiration safeguards are provided?
- Can it monitor for lookalikes and support an abuse-response process?
- Which geographic markets and top-level domains are covered?
- What support and incident-escalation paths are available?
- How portable are the domains and data, and what lock-in risks apply?
- What is the total recurring cost for the organization’s actual needs?
These criteria should be weighed against the organization’s portfolio and risk profile. NIST’s guide informs the DNS security questions; portfolio management and monitoring are also central considerations in TechRadar Pro’s September 28, 2026 coverage of AI, domain strategy, and digital trust.
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