One of the most well-known Internet companies, Verisign is planning a major upgrade. After the upgrades, Verisign’s hardware will be capable of handling 4 quadrillion requests per day from computers trying to access .com and .net top-level domains (TLD) for which Verisign is responsible.

According to ken Silva, the Internet giant’s CTO, these upgrades are crucial to ensuring they can keep up with the rapidly increasing Internet traffic and the occasional spikes caused by malware, attacks, and malicious bots. In 2007, Verisign spent $100 million to increase their capacity until 2010. This next round of upgrades reflects the fast-growing nature of the Internet.

In addition to providing access to .com and .net domains, Verisign is also renown for selling SSL certificates. What is not clear from their announcement is what the upgrades will entail exactly and how long these latest upgrades will sustain the rapidly expanding cyber-universe.

Source: Associated Press

Continue reading: Verisign to spend $300 million on tech upgrades

Many of the voices we have heard speaking out about the proposed .XXX top-level domains (TLD) are mostly from the tech community, the adult industry, and politicians with various agendas. Although I rarely use this blog for editorial purposes, I thought it might be helpful for people to consider the perspective of an educator who has worked in all primary and secondary school levels and will soon start working in higher education.

The benefits of having an entire TLD for adult sites is clear if you are in the adult industry, but what some may not have considered is that it can also have advantages for those trying to prevent children from accessing them. It also provides a definite advantage for tech security professionals who are often given the impossible task of trying to limit access.

Make no mistake, it will not solve all problems, and it is doubtful adult and pornographic sites will limit themselves exclusively to .XXX domains, but part of promoting themselves as legitimate businesses involves making a conscious effort to keep children away from their sites. This could work in favor of both sides of the argument if it is used to its full potential. ICANN is again considering it, and time will tell. But it is certainly worth a second thought.

Photo Source: Flickr

Continue reading: An educator's perspective on .XXX domains

Anthony Fox of Tennessee, USA registered Netlix.com to launch the website for his web hosting service company called Netlix Inc. Little did he know that the DVD giant, now famous for dethroning Blockbuster Video would file a complaint of cybersquatting against him.

The argument is that the name netlix.com is confusingly similar to netflix.com, but as with all such cases, they also had to prove that Fox did not have a legitimate right or interest in the domain and that he registered it in bad faith. Fox registered the domain back in 1999 and kept it, although his company is apparently no longer around. Netflix argued that he was now only using it as an advertising portal.

Unlike most cases denial cases, where the panel finds that there was no bad faith, this one was decided by the first clause. Netlix.com, the panel decided, is not confusingly similar to Netflix.com because of the missing “f” and no evidence that it would confuse customers. Furthermore, the panel ruled against Netflix on the latter two clauses since Fox had used the domain for business in the past and had a long connection with it.

Source: UDRPSearch
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Netflix loses domain dispute over Netlix.com

Once you have successfully developed a website, you will need to perform periodic evaluations to ensure that it continues to meet web standards, accessibility guidelines, and is usable on multiple platforms. You can have the most beautiful website ever created, but if it is too slow and crashes a user’s browser, you have lost a visitor, and possibly a customer.

An easy way to test your website’s speed in the worst conditions, is to load it on the slowest computer you can find, on the slowest possible connection. The more single-page text, styles, images, and animations you have, the longer it will take for a browser to process it and display it.

There are also two website speed tool tests you can try: iWebTool has a speed test that will measure up to 10 domains at once. It will download your website’s actual pages and tell you how long it takes. Pingdom has a test that will examine the entire page, telling you the load times for each content item, including images. Both tools are useful, and after you have your results, compare them with other websites of similar size and content. Finally, make the necessary changes to your site, and reap the benefits.

Continue reading: Test the speed of your website

The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) has banned the use of the word “bank” in any .SE domains, except for those companies granted permission to use it. Furthermore, any combination of the letters b,a,n, and k are apparently also banned. Presumably, permission will be granted to those organizations which are actually banks. The question that one must ask is whether or not a website that lists banks in a directory or happens to have the word bank in the company’s name will still be allowed to register *bank.se domains.

They are insisting that the restrictions be implemented at the time of registration so that anyone who attempts to register a .SE domain with the word “bank” in it will simply be denied. I can only guess that those with legitimate cause for using such a domain would have to jump through hoops to get approved. This outlines a problem that plagues organizations trying to crack down on fraudulent activities with unreasonably harsh restrictions. The only ones who get inconvenienced are the honest customers.

PTS argues that they are protecting people from financial fraud (such as phishing) by restricting who can use the word “bank”. In reality, all they are doing is making it more difficult for real banks to register domains. Those who wish to steal identities and financial information will simply find other means. PTS’ approach only addresses the symptoms rather than offering a cure.

Source: CircleID
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Ban on the Word "Bank" in .SE Domains

Mary Landesman, senior security researcher at ScanSafe believes that three major waves of SQL injection attacks may be linked, originating from the same attacker. Approximately 80,000 Chinese, 67,000 U.S., and 40,000 Indian websites are still infected by a botnet due to SQL injection attacks. At one point, millions of Chinese sites were compromised. Landesman says the attacks were the work of the same attacker because of similar domain name registration information and methods used.

“It’s the thread of the domain names being used,” Landesman says. Seven of these “mal-domains” — a term coined by Landesman to describe domain names used solely to build Internet infrastructure to spread malware or otherwise cause harm — were registered under the same name and address (which are clearly bogus, being not more than gibberish).

Most of the domains were registered to a major registrar, which is uncharacteristic of such attacks. Usually attackers choose lesser-known or less reputable registrars in order to slip through unnoticed. The problem is the system, Landesman says, which allows people to register domain names using completely false information with procedure for verifying identity.

Source: Network World
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Web Attacks May Be Linked

It happens all too often. You have a lapse and forget to renew your domain name registration. One day you go to your website to find it filled with text link ads instead of your content. Re-registering should be simple, but ICANN’s At-Large-Advisory Committee (ALAC) reports that the methods available to consumers who want to recover their expired domains “have proven to be ineffective.”

The current system involves a 45-day auto-renew grace period. After the grace period ends, the registrar deletes the domain, and it enters a 30-day redemption grace period. At this point no website will appear when trying to access the domain. The registrant can still renew the domain at this point through their current registrar.

ICANN’s consultation asks: “whether adequate opportunity exists for registrants to redeem their expired domain names; whether expiration-related provisions in typical registration agreements are clear and conspicuous enough; [and] whether adequate notice exists to alert registrants of upcoming expirations.”

They are also considering whether there needs to be some type of notification system as the domains progress through each grace period and face deletion. Furthermore, registrars are allowed to sell domains in the auto renew period to third parties. That is often when you will see your domain suddenly appear with ads. Then when you try to register it again, the new owner might try to sell it for you for a high price. The ALC intends to evaluate all of these issues.

Source: Out-Law.com

Continue reading: ICANN Plans to Rethink Expired Domain Recovery

As ICANN continues to flex its muscles, combating domain tasting, silencing critics, and revoking accreditation from naughty registrars, many domain name registrars are apparently feeling a little uncomfortable about their understanding of ICANN policies. So, what is the treatment for post domain accreditation depression? Counseling is the answers, of course.

ICANN accreditation is very important both financially, due to the attached savings on wholesale domains and for the reputation of a registrar. Customers recognize the ICANN logo on a website and expect to do business with what they would consider to be legitimate firms. Without accreditation, a domain registrar could literally face extinction. Now, companies like LogicBoxes are providing consultancy services for registrars.

Instead of hiring in-house experts to page through ICANN policy and monitor compliance, registrars can outsource to companies that specialize in getting them ready for accreditation. Furthermore, their programs are designed to get registrars accredited as quickly and painlessly as possible. Never again will registrars have to suffer the loneliness and embarrassment of post accreditation depression. There is help even for the most careless of businesses.

Photo: SXC

Continue reading: Counseling for the Domain Impaired

Microsoft is a company that needs no introduction, but for those who have been under a very low-tech rock for the past 20 years, they are the dominating software force in the PC market. Their operating system, Windows and their office suite are used on the majority of the world’s computers. Microsoft also competes in the gaming console market with its Xbox 360. To say that it would be suicide to take them on in the legal arena is probably an understatement.

Nevertheless, someone decided to register a domain name with the word “xbox” in it. That someone is an actual company, MeiXun Technology Ltd, based in GuanZhou, China. Microsoft, the trademark owner of XBOX filed a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum on June 29. The complaint and all correspondence were submitted in English and Chinese. MeiXun, however, did not respond to the cybersquatting allegations.

The panel found that the name was confusingly similar to the XBOX trademark, with only “ps” added to the front of it (possibly to indicate PlayStation). Rather than make it acceptable because of the prefix, the panel found that it only adds to confusion by joining two competing gaming platforms. The website attached to the domain was used to sell third party modification chips for Xbox and other consoles, which is illegal in the United States. The panel found that the respondent had registered the domain name in bad faith and ordered the domain be transferred to Microsoft.

Source: National Arbitration Forum
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Microsoft Scores PSXBOX.NET in Dispute

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pursuing litigation against a California-based company called Balls of Kryptonite for allegedly using using websites on two .co.uk country domains to trick UK customers into thinking the company was local. According to the charges, the company had two domains, bestpricebrands.co.uk and bitesizedeals.co.uk, and used the websites to sell electronics such as cameras and video games.

UK customers saw no indications that the company was international and purchased goods from them. But when the items arrived, they received unexpected import charges, invalid warranties, and huge cancellation fees. Customers sent complaints to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) which in turn collaborated with the US-based FTC.

This is not the first time that foreign companies have used UK domain names to appear local. Reports estimate that there could be as many as 480,000 sites with co.uk country domains that are not based in the UK. Most of them are based in China. Customers should therefore use caution when ordering from unfamiliar companies, and if they are not sure, they can use Whois lookup to determine the location of the domain’s owner.

Source: The Independent
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: FTC: Company Tried to Trick UK Customers

As if the .ae top-level domain craze could stand to get more sensational, Michael Reed, a businessman from the United Kingdom, is complaining that the UAE domain regulator, .aeDA unlawfully took back a domain he had legitimately registered. The domain in question is Irena.ae. Reed owns a 12-year-old trademark for Irena, a nutritional supplement, in Europe and the UK.

According to Reed, however, when the UAE government made a deal with IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Association, they snipped his registration from over his own registrar’s head. The regulator .aeDA argues that Reed did not register the domain until two days after the IRENA EU statute and that he posted a “for sale” advertisement on youcanbuythiswebsite.com. When they contacted him, they said he did not respond in a timely manner.

Reed contends that he never offered the domain for sale. The .aeDA asserted that its policies grant it permission to revoke registration of domains that are identical to inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), but there is no mention of it in the policy document. Reed is threatening to pull his business out of the UAE completely. Now it will be up to the UAE to decide which is more important to them: their inter-governmental agreements or the business interests and potential commercial benefits of one man.

Source: Arabian Business
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: UK Businessman in Heated Dispute Over .AE Domain

In past years, if you made a mistake when registering a domain name, whether a spelling mistake or some other type of mishap, you had five days to return the domain and get a refund from your registrar. This is called the Add Grace Period. ICANN would refund the registrar the cost of the domain. Some professional domainers, however, abused the Add Grace Period.

The domainers would register a large chunk of domains, create ad websites, and then monitor them. The websites that generated more ad revenue than the cost of the domains were kept, and the ones that were not profitable were dropped, all within the 5-day period. The practice is called “domain tasting”. It is a nuisance to legitimate domain customers who want to register the domains because they are unavailable during the process.

In an effort to combat domain tasting, last year ICANN introduced new policies that included not refunding registrars the fee for registries and making it more expensive for registrars by charging them $6.75 or more. The new policies, they say, have virtually eliminated domain tasting. As for those who still make honest mistakes, ICANN makes exceptions.

Source: Computerworld

Continue reading: ICANN: New Policy Has Reduced Domain Tasting