Verification with DNS (txt)

Verification with DNS records allows for verification without changing the website - you simply verify by adding a TXT record to the main domain.

1. Select “Add DNS TXT Record”

1. After entering the name of your domain, you will be prompted to verify it. You could verify  the assets with either  a .txt file or by uploading a DNS TXT record to it.
   
   

2. Go to your DNS provider settings (could be for example AWS Route53, Cloudflare or DigitalOcean).

   1. Add a new DNS record of type TXT

   2. Set the record name (could be called name or hostname as well)

      1. @ or blank if it’s a apex/root domain your are verifying

      2. Otherwise add the subdomain, under the record name, e.g. "blog"
         

   3. Examples of DNS provider settings:

      1. AWSRoute53
         
         
         

2. Cloudflare
   

3. Digital Ocean
   
   

3. Once the record is created go back to Detectify, copy and paste the verification token as TXT value (could be called content).

Note that detectify-verification= should be part of the value 



4. Now click “Let’s see if it works” on the Detectify screen.

1. DNS records need time to get updated across all DNS servers. In most cases it is fairly quick, but it may take up to 48 hours.

2. You can also manually verify if the record has been added by going to e.g. https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/dig/#TXT/ 

2. Start your first scan

You’re now all set and ready to run your first Detectify scan. Happy scanning!

Good to know:

1. DNS TTL (time to live)

   • DNS TTL (time to live) is a setting that tells the DNS resolver how long to cache a query before requesting a new one.

   • While verifying assets keep the TTL as low as possible. If you add a DNS record with a faulty value you will need to wait for the TTL to expire until you try to verify again.

   • Once verification is done you can remove the DNS record
     
     

2. Getting "No DNS response" error?

   • If you see a DNS response error as below, it may be due to the fact that the website is blocking Detectify 

   • The site needs to be accessible by Detectify prior to attempting verification 
     

• To solve this please

  • Re-check the DNS token and repeat steps 2 and 3

  • Allow Detectify access to your site: 
    https://support.detectify.com/support/solutions/articles/48001049001-how-to-allow-detectify-to-access-your-site

3.  Does name server matter? 

   • Changing your domain name servers to for example Cloudflare name servers do not matter, but ensure it is pointed to the correct DNS provider

Need help?

If you’re still having problems with verification, see our knowledge base article here send an email with your details and a description of the issue to [email protected] and we will do our best to help.