Domain transfer lock

Whether the registrar transfer lock is set. With it on, nobody can move the domain to another registrar without unlocking it first.

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The transfer lock is the clientTransferProhibited status (or serverTransferProhibited, set by the registry itself). While it is on, the registry refuses any request to move the domain to another registrar. To transfer the name you first have to unlock it in your registrar account and request the authorisation (EPP) code.

Why it matters. Domain hijacking usually goes through a transfer: someone gets into the registrar account or the owner's mailbox and moves the name to a registrar under their control. Getting it back takes weeks of disputes, while the site and e-mail are in someone else's hands. The lock adds a step that an attacker has to take visibly first.

How SiteScan checks it

The row appears only for registries that publish EPP status codes. DENIC (.de) and the .ru registry publish no lock state at all, and reading their silence as "unlocked" would be wrong, so for them there is no row. Green "On" means a transfer prohibition is set; amber "Off" means none is.

How to turn it on

In the registrar's control panel look for "Registrar lock", "Transfer lock" or "Domain lock" and enable it. Unlock only for a transfer you are doing yourself, and turn it back on afterwards. For high-value domains ask for a registry lock (the server… statuses). See also the registry status.