Details

Parked domain name detection based on DNS and network characteristics

Year: 2025

Term: Winter

Student Name: Tianyu Zhang

Supervisor: AbdelRahman Abdou

Abstract: The aim of the project is to identify parked domains using DNS and network-related characteristics. A parked domain is defined as a domain that has been registered for a long period of time (usually at least a few months) without hosting any active web content or online services, and is usually reserved for future resale at a high price. In this study, I focused on analysing the current situation of wild parked domains. To do this, I first downloaded and processed a large DNS dataset locally from the OpenIntel platform. A Python program was then developed to determine the registration status of the domain names using the python-whois library and to make a preliminary classification based on whether the registration had been in place for more than three months. I then used dnspython to build a DNS query tool to further identify potential parked domain names by analysing DNS records. The results showed that about 5% of the domain names tested met my definition of parked domain names.