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Frequently asked questions

  • I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?

    The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.

    On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.

  • I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?

    To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.

  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?

    To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.

  • Why is my domain name in quarantine?

    When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.

    One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.

  • Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?

    Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.

  • What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?

    Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.

More frequently asked questions

SIDN takes part in biggest national cyber-emergency exercise ever

NCTV and NCSC organise ISIDOOR 2021

The media response cell of the national crisis exercise ISIDOOR 2021
  • Friday 18 June 2021

At the start of this month, more than fifteen hundred people from ninety-six public and private sector organisations took part in the ISIDOOR 2021 cyber-exercise. Vital sectors including the water industry, the nuclear and non-nuclear energy industries, infrastructure management and banking were all represented. As a designated 'essential service operator', SIDN was also involved, along with various governmental bodies and law enforcement agencies. The number and diversity of the participating organisations made ISIDOOR 2021 unique: the biggest national cyber-emergency exercise ever held in the Netherlands. The three-day event was organised by the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), supported by the COT and FOX-IT, with the aim of practising information exchange, collaboration and coordination in preparation for a cyber-emergency.

Ransomware attack

During the exercise, various types of cyber-incident were simulated. They included a hostile state-organised phishing mail campaign, ransomware attacks and system penetration based on exploitation of a software vulnerability. Simulated consequences ranged from the loss of imaginary sensitive operational information to the virtual disruption of vital processes, resulting in poor water pressure, the non-availability of websites and services, and delayed payment traffic, for example.

The media response cell of the national crisis exercise ISIDOOR 2021

To make the exercise as realistic as possible, a media response cell was set up for ISIDOOR 2021 that distributed (fake) news items and responded to news and social media messages from participants. (Photo: Bas Kijzers)

Cybersecurity belongs on the executive agenda

"A cyber-attack can impact people's lives directly. Who can forget the gridlocked roads we had when Citrix went down and people couldn't work at home? But we also need to prepare for more serious situations where there's more social disruption. First and foremost, that means all organisations having their cybersecurity in order. And everyone being ready to pull together if an incident nevertheless occurs. That's why exercises like this are so important They promote information exchange, strengthen collaboration and demonstrate the need for coordination. In three quarters of participating organisations, the subject of cybersecurity was escalated to the executive level. In other words, we've succeeded in getting the subject on the senior management agenda. Where it belongs," said Hester Somsen, Deputy NCTV and Director of Cybersecurity.

Boosting national resilience

Cyber-incidents are increasing year-on-year, driving an ongoing need to build up national resilience to attacks. Against that background, the Dutch government is committed to a national test and exercise programme, which ISIDOOR 2021 was part of. Incidents that made the news in the last year include the detection of vulnerabilities in SolarWinds Orion and Microsoft Exchange, which left numerous organisations exposed.

According to NCSC Director Hans the Vries, "Such incidents underscore the importance of improving our cyber-resilience, creating awareness and preparing for attacks. Joint exercises support those goals. Participants learn to speak the same language and to understand each other's needs and problems. The exercises also mean that, in the event of a real attack, people coordinate their responses more quickly and more effectively. Real-world cyber-incidents develop rapidly and have huge potential impact, so we need to practise dealing with them in order to prevent serious disruption, damage and cost."

Lessons learnt from the exercise will be reflected in participating organisations' cyber-incident preparations and incorporated into plans and procedures such as the National Cyber-emergency Plan. That will help organisations to continue developing and improving their flexibility, resilience and agility. And that's vital, because there's one thing we can be sure of: a future cyber-emergency is bound to differ from those already experienced and practised for.

Participation of Minister Grapperhaus in crisis exercise ISIDOOR 2021

Some 1,500-2,000 people took part in the crisis exercise. The Minister of Justice & Security was also involved. (Photo: Bas Kijzers)

Well-prepared

ISIDOOR 2021 was the third edition of the NCTV/NCSC-organised exercise. But SIDN was participating for the first time since being designated an 'operator of essential services' in 2018. Technical Security Officer Melvin Elderman acted as our internal exercise evaluator. "We often do emergency drills here at SIDN," he says. "But they are purely internal. So it was a very worthwhile experience taking part in a large-scale exercise like this and seeing first-hand what impact a national-level attack can have and how other organisations respond. We learnt a lot from it. As well as reassuring us that we're well-prepared for many situations, the exercise also flagged up areas where we can do even better. We're going to get to work on the relevant points right away."