When your company's official website domain appears on someone else's cloud server console, it becomes impossible to manage other websites hosted on it. This situation of "domain being added" is not uncommon in actual operations and maintenance. It may stem from a lack of handover by former employees, unrevoked permissions by partners, or even accidental disclosure of encryption keys. Regardless of the reason, regaining control tests your patience, technical skills, and a bit of strategy. This is not just a technical operation, but more like a small-scale digital asset recovery operation.

The first step is to thoroughly understand the current situation, figuring out where the domain has been "added" and in what form. First, use a `whois` query tool to check the domain's official registration information. Enter the following in the command line:

whois yourdomain.com

Carefully examine the `Registrant`, `Admin Email`, and `Name Server` items in the output results. If the registrant's email is still your company's official email, then legal ownership is likely still in your hands, which is a very strong foundation. If the registration information has been altered to an unfamiliar email address, the problem is much more serious, meaning the domain may have been illegally transferred. Next, use the `nslookup` or `dig` command to probe the IP address and server environment currently pointed to by the domain.

nslookup yourdomain.com

dig yourdomain.com A

Record the resolved IP address. Then, visit an IP reverse lookup website like `ip.chinaz.com`, enter the IP address, and see which cloud service provider it belongs to (e.g., Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, AWS). Simultaneously, try accessing your domain with a browser and observe the website content. This provides direct clues about who is using it and for what purpose. Save all this information (IP, cloud service provider, website content screenshots) as evidence for any subsequent appeals.

While conducting technical reconnaissance, legal and communication preparations must begin simultaneously. Immediately compile evidence within your company that proves your ownership of the domain. This evidence is crucial and typically includes: the original registration invoice or payment receipt for the domain, screenshots of historical management in the domain registrar's backend, records of the domain being used for the company website or corporate email (e.g., the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's ICP filing number in China), and trademark registration certificates related to the domain. If you suspect a former employee was responsible, you'll need to prepare their employment and resignation records to prove they had the authority to operate the domain but that authority has been terminated. Digitize these materials and organize them into a clear evidence package.

After completing the information gathering, it's time to take the initiative. You have two main contacts: first, the domain's current registrar (obtained from WHOIS information); second, the cloud service platform the domain points to (found through IP reverse lookup). Prioritize contacting the cloud service provider's customer service or security support team, as the domain being "added" to their platform is an operation at their business level. Find the cloud service provider's official "infringement complaint," "violation report," or "account appeal" channels (usually at the bottom of the website). Submit a clear and professional complaint report. The report should include: a statement of the incident (our company's domain name XXX was added to your platform without authorization), a package of ownership evidence you collected, and technical query results (current IP address, WHOIS information screenshots). Your tone must be calm, objective, and firm. Emphasize that this is an infringement on your legitimate digital assets, demand that the other party immediately suspend all bindings and resolutions of the domain on their platform, and assist in regaining control. If the current registrar is no longer under your control, file a domain ownership dispute appeal with that registrar; the process is similar.

During the negotiation with the service provider, if their response is slow or they request more complex verification, you may need to initiate a technical "forced retrieval" process. The most fundamental method is to reset domain management rights. If the admin email is still under your control, log in to that email immediately. Use the "forgot password" function on the domain registrar's website to have the reset link sent to that admin email, thus directly regaining control of the domain's control panel. After a successful reset, the first thing to do is change your login password, enable two-factor authentication, and check that all contact information has not been tampered with. Next, in the domain control panel, change the DNS servers. Regardless of where the current domain is pointing, immediately change its DNS servers to those you have absolute control over. The activation of a DNS record requires global recursion and typically takes several minutes to several hours to complete globally. While waiting for the domain to take effect, you can pre-define the domain name on your own DNS server to a server IP address you control, or simply set up a basic maintenance page.

The success of a domain repossession operation often depends on the speed of action and the solidity of the evidence. Throughout the process, maintain the integrity of all communication records; archive every chat log and email exchange with customer service. If former employees or clearly responsible parties are involved, sending a formal lawyer's letter, as advised by internal legal counsel, can be an accelerator for resolving the issue.

Prevention is better than cure. After reclaiming the domain, immediately establish a strict domain asset management system: use the company's unified corporate email address as the registration and management email address for all domains, avoiding the use of any personal email addresses; enable two-factor authentication with the domain registrar and cloud platform; regularly review the permission allocation for all domains and cloud accounts, ensuring that permissions for departing employees are promptly removed; transfer important domains between accounts and centrally manage them under the control of core administrators.