By Jennifer LeClaire E-Commerce Times Part of the ECT News Network
01/18/05 2:00 PM PT
"There was an error in the checking process prior to initiating the [domain name] transfer, and thus the transfer should never have been initiated," Bruce Tonkin, the chief technology officer of Melbourne IT, said. "The loophole that led to this error has been closed. That reseller is analyzing its logs and cooperating with law enforcement."
Internet service provider Panix had plenty to panic about over the weekend when its domain name was hijacked by unknown parties. The mystery has since been solved, but the aftermath has some pointing the finger at a new policy the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently issued to make it easier to transfer domains.
The hijacking disrupted e-mail, Web access and other connectivity to panix.com for thousands of customers when the domain was unknowingly moved to a company in Australia.
Tangled Web Unwoven
It was a tangled web that was unwoven today by domain registrar Melbourne IT in an e-mail message to The North American Network Operator's Group mailing list.
"There was an error in the checking process prior to initiating the transfer, and thus the transfer should never have been initiated," Bruce Tonkin, the chief technology officer of Melbourne IT, said. "The loophole that led to this error has been closed. That reseller is analyzing its logs and cooperating with law enforcement."
Apparently this is not the only domain hijacking since ICANN implemented its Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy last November to streamline domain transfers between registrars. The ICANN message boards reveal a posting by George Kirkikos claiming that aem.com, f3.com and xybererotica.com appear to have been hijacked as well.
The new rules allow transfers to proceed with a customer confirmation by the gaining registrar but without approval from the losing registrar. Some registrars had warned ICANN that the changes would also make it easier to hijack domains.
Revisiting Procedures
Jupiter Research analyst Joe Laszlo told the E-Commerce Times that domain hijacking is not very common, though there have been some high profile cases where well known brand names have let their URLs lapse and had to fight to get them back.
"It seems like it was awfully easy for people who weren't authorized to initiate a domain transfer to do so," Laszlo said. "It's tough to say if it's ICANN's fault, although it does seem like certain procedures need to be strengthened. I would hope this causes ICANN to start revisiting some of its procedures."
ICANN is requesting public comments on experiences with the new policy, which went into effect in November 2004.
Domain Name Geography: Mexico Loses Fight over Mexico.com August 19, 2004
In this regard, the panel seems to have been caught up in the formality of the legal government entity chosen by the Mexican government to pursue this domain name and failed to appreciate that the Mexican government, as a whole, was around long before the disputed domain name was registered.
VeriSign Report Highlights Domain Growth June 09, 2004
VeriSign spokesperson Patrick Burns agreed that the "speculative use" of domain names had diminished. "That aspect is gone, but real Internet use is rising dramatically," he told TechNewsWorld. Burns said that on the basis of 11 billion queries per day against the .com and .net domain names, there is no doubt that usage and numbers of names will continue to climb steadily.
Microsoft Lays Claim to Kid's Domain Name January 19, 2004
Yankee Group senior analyst and Microsoft observer Laura DiDio told TechNewsWorld that Microsoft is likely to look bad in the matter regardless of what the company does. However, she also said she doubts Rowe's insistence that he did not plan to profit from publicity or a settlement over the domain.
Domain Name Disputes: Past, Present, Future November 27, 2003
This story was originally published on November 11, 2003, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series.
Corporate Names and the Problem of Googlization November 10, 2003
Although it may be too late in the game for Google to change its name, other startups certainly can learn from the search company's name struggles. Here are seven pitfalls to avoid when considering a new name.
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