Due to changes in Australian internet domains, business owners are being cautioned that there may be an increase in the risk of cybercrime to their organisation.
To allow anyone with a connection to Australia to register the shorter.au domain for their website rather than the already existing.com.au or.net.au, new guidelines were implemented in March of this year.
However, before it becomes available to the general public, those who already hold Australian domains have until September to reserve their corresponding website with the shorter domain.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, warned that the short transition period would encourage an increase in cybercriminals.
According to Billson, it's probable that a lot of businesses might have their brand or identity impersonated.
When shorter.au domains go on sale next month, criminals might take advantage of them, according to an ombudsman. Photo by Dan Peled / AAP
"Domain names are essential to a company's success and serve as its identification. Small businesses just cannot afford to have their personal information sold to another party, he said.
This is comparable to making a second set of front door keys and giving them to a competitor, a stranger who tries to buy them back from you at a higher price, or a thief who uses them to defraud your clients.
The ombudsman expressed worry over the general lack of knowledge on the push to switch to the.au domain.
The.au Domain Administration, a regulatory body, created the new structure to permit the shorter domain.
According to the administration, the shift would be the biggest for Australian websites in decades and would make it possible to access shorter and easier-to-remember internet addresses.
More than 3 million.au domains have been registered thus far.
Billson claimed that he expressed his concerns to the administration and asked for a deadline extension, but that his request was denied.
He predicted an increase in "cyber squatting," the fraudulent use of comparable domain names by rival businesses or online criminals.
All I can do, he continued, is try to ensure that small and family businesses are not left out in the cold by the shortened.au domain name.
If a competitor or other party registers your current business name before the deadline, the results could be catastrophic for your company.