Understanding DNS Change Alerts
When Domainyze detects changes to your domain's DNS records, you'll receive detailed alerts via email and webhook (if configured). This guide helps you understand wh...
When Domainyze detects changes to your domain's DNS records, you'll receive detailed alerts via email and webhook (if configured). This guide helps you understand what these alerts mean and how to respond.
What Triggers a DNS Change Alert?
A DNS change alert is triggered when:
- DNS records are added to your domain
- DNS records are removed from your domain
- Existing DNS records are modified
Note: The initial DNS check when you first add a domain does not trigger alerts—only subsequent changes are reported.
Alert Notification Channels
DNS change alerts are sent through:
- Email: Sent to your account email address
- Webhook: Posted to your configured webhook URL (if enabled)
Learn more about configuring notifications in Email, SMS, and Webhook Integrations.
What Information Is Included?
Each DNS change alert contains:
- Domain Name: The affected domain
- Timestamp: When the change was detected
- Changed Record Types: Which DNS record types were affected (e.g., A, MX, NS)
- Added Records: Specific records that were added
- Removed Records: Specific records that were removed
- View Domain Link: Direct link to view full details in your Portfolio
Email Alert Example
Subject: DNS Changes Detected: example.com
DNS record changes have been detected for example.com.
Changed record types: A, MX
**A Added:** 192.0.2.100
**A Removed:** 192.0.2.50
**MX Added:** 20 mail2.example.com.
**MX Removed:** 10 mail1.example.com.
[View Domain] → /portfolio/example.com
Please review these changes to ensure they are expected.
Common DNS Changes and What They Mean
Nameserver (NS) Changes
- What: Your domain's authoritative nameservers changed
- Impact: Can redirect all DNS queries to different servers
- Action: Verify this change was intentional; unauthorized NS changes could indicate DNS hijacking
A/AAAA Record Changes
- What: IP addresses your domain points to changed
- Impact: Affects where your website and services are hosted
- Action: Confirm with your hosting provider or IT team
MX Record Changes
- What: Mail exchange servers changed
- Impact: Affects email delivery for your domain
- Action: Verify with email provider; unexpected changes can disrupt email
TXT/SPF/DKIM/DMARC Changes
- What: Email authentication or general text records changed
- Impact: Can affect email deliverability and authentication
- Action: Verify with email administrator
CAA Record Changes
- What: Certificate Authority Authorization records changed
- Impact: Controls which CAs can issue SSL certificates for your domain
- Action: Verify this aligns with your SSL certificate management
How to Respond to DNS Change Alerts
- Review the Alert: Carefully read what records changed
- Verify with Your Team: Check if the change was authorized by your team, hosting provider, or DNS provider
- Check Your DNS Provider: Log into your DNS management panel to see who made the change and when
- Investigate Unauthorized Changes: If you didn't authorize the change:
- Immediately reset your DNS provider account password
- Review account access logs
- Contact your DNS provider's support
- Consider this a potential security incident
Viewing Full DNS History
To see a complete history of all DNS checks and changes:
- Go to your Portfolio
- Select the domain
- Navigate to the DNS Check History section
- View all past checks with timestamps and change details
Learn more in Viewing DNS Check History.
False Positives and Expected Changes
Some DNS changes are normal and expected:
- Migrating to a new hosting provider
- Changing email providers
- Setting up new services (CDN, security services)
- Updating SSL certificate providers
- Load balancing adjustments
If you frequently see expected changes, maintain a change log to cross-reference with alerts.