Our research team analyzed close to 22 million domains registered between 1 July and 30 September 2024 from the Newly Registered Domains (NRD2) Data Feed. We found that the number of NRDs increased by 2.05% compared with the previous quarter. We also looked closer into 3.16 million domains tagged as indicators of compromise (IoCs) in Q2, along with 618+ million mail exchange (MX) server and 1+ billion name server (NS) resolutions for the past 365 days based on our DNS Database Download files dated 5 September 2024.

Our domain activity trends analysis allowed us uncover the following:

• The top-level domain (TLD) type distribution of the Q3 NRDs
• The most popular generic TLD (gTLD) and country-code TLD (ccTLD) extensions for the NRDs and IoCs
• The most popular NRD registrars
• The top MX and NS fully qualified domain names (FQDNs), their root domains, and their providers

An overview of the key insights from the report is presented below. You may also access the complete Global Domain Activity Report: Q3 2024 here.

New Domain Registration Patterns

It’s plausible to assume that the higher the number of NRDs, the healthier the global business market is. Increased domain registration often signals more businesses establishing their presence online or expanding their foothold. A decline, meanwhile, could suggest the lack of new ventures or mergers and acquisitions.

What transpired this past quarter? Our latest global domain activity analysis marked a slight increase (2.05%) in the total NRD registration compared with Q2 2024. While the gTLD domain registration declined by 0.63%, the ccTLD domain registration rose by 11.24%.

Based on our Q3 2024 ranking of the most popular gTLDs and ccTLDs, the same players pretty much made the list as in Q2. The .com gTLD remained in first place, with the other extensions like .xyz, .shop, and .top lagging far behind. Among the ccTLDs, .cn kept the top position.

GoDaddy held on to the top NRD registrar spot, accounting for 16.31% of the total number. Namecheap ranked second with a 10.64% share, followed by NameSilo with 3.89%.

Global DNS Activity: The Most Popular Name Server Provider

Leveraging our passive DNS intelligence, we analyzed the top NS resolutions for the past 365 days using a passive DNS database file dated 5 September 2024. We found that Amazon Technologies accounted for 4.15% of 1.81+ billion resolutions.

Interestingly, while Amazon Technologies was the top provider, none of the NS domains it runs seems to have made the top 10. Instead, domaincontrol[.]com, often associated with GoDaddy, dominated the top NS domains list.

Confirmed Malicious Domains: TLD Topnotchers

We also took a much closer look at our Threat Intelligence Data Feeds, specifically on the 3.16+ million malicious domains tagged as IoCs in Q3 2024.

As shown, threat actors continued to favor using .com domains over others, with the gTLD accounting for 17.29% of the total IoC volume. Note that seven other gTLD extensions .org, .net, .biz, .info, .bazar, .life, and .tickets also made the top 10.

Two ccTLDs, .ru and .cn, also figured in the top 10 list.

The Global Domain Activity Report: Q3 2024 provides high-level insights into domain registrations and DNS activity worldwide. The report sheds light on domain and DNS record preferences and usage patterns that can help inform business and cybersecurity decisions.

Don’t hesitate to download the full report or contact us for more information about accessing domain, DNS, and cyber threat intelligence for your organization.