About this tool
CNAME records are common on subdomains used for email marketing platforms, content delivery networks and third-party services, so checking them can reveal which outside provider actually serves a given hostname even though the domain itself appears unrelated.
Example inputs: www.example.commail.digitpol.comshop.example.net
What the result shows
- Target name
- The canonical name the queried hostname is aliased to.
- TTL
- How long the alias mapping may be cached, in seconds.
- Response status
- Whether a CNAME was found, no record exists, or the name does not resolve at all.
Investigation use cases
- Identifying a third-party service that a subdomain is aliased to, such as an email or marketing platform
- Checking whether a suspicious subdomain points to an unrelated provider's infrastructure
- Confirming a CNAME-based domain verification setup for a hosting or security service
- Investigating whether a dangling CNAME points to a deprovisioned third-party resource
Limitations
A domain's apex record usually cannot carry a CNAME by DNS standard, so this is most useful on subdomains, and the tool reports the alias target only, it does not resolve or evaluate the destination further.
Frequently asked questions
Can the root domain have a CNAME?
Generally no, DNS standards do not allow a CNAME at the zone apex alongside other records; most providers use an ALIAS or ANAME-style workaround instead.
What is a dangling CNAME?
It is a CNAME pointing to a target that no longer exists or has been deprovisioned, which can sometimes be taken over by an attacker; this tool shows the pointer but does not test for takeover.
Does this follow the chain to a final IP address?
The tool reports the CNAME target; use the DNS Lookup tool against that target name to continue resolving it.
Is a report available?
The lookup is free within daily limits; a sealed report document is a paid or account feature.
Need evidence you can keep?
Every lookup produces a full public-source report sealed with a SHA-256 digest. Accounts keep a saved history and can download the DIGITPOL PDF report.