Register.Com Recovers From DDoS Attack

I just confirmed this a few minutes ago with CEO, Larry Kutscher.

Not all of their customers had been affected, but it appears that some of their systems had suffered service disruptions as a result of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

For those that don’t know, this type of attack floods systems with traffic from various points across the internet. As such its impossible to effectively shut down.

Here is an extract from the email sent out to Register.com customers 10 mins ago:

“Services have been restored for most of our customers including hosting and email. However for some of our customers, services are not fully restored.  We know this is unacceptable.

We are using all available means to restore services to every one of our customers and halt this criminal attack on our business and our customers’ business. We are working round the clock to make that happen.

We are committed to updating you in as timely manner as possible, please check your inbox or our website for additional updates.

Thank you for your patience.”

I believe its great that Register.com notified their customers of this attack. Are you a register.com customer? Did you notice anything wrong? Feel free to post a comment.

Name.Com Gives To Charity – Verizon Wins $33M

As an entrepreneur and someone who donates to a wide variety of charities, I can’t help but notice when companies do things that are right. In fact, I go out of my way to support such companies, which is why I’m posting this.

Name.com just had a promotion where $.50 from every .ORG registered until 12/31/08 was donated to Kiva.org.  On top of that, they were selling .orgs for a crazy $6.49 – which means you should buy them anyway. In case you didn’t know, Kiva lends money to entrepreneurs in the developing world, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty. It’s the “teach the man to fish” approach using micro-transactions.

Earlier today I came across another headline – Verizon Wins $33 Million in Suit Over Domain Names. Apparently, “the default judgment of $50,000 for each of 663 addresses registered by the Internet company, OnlineNic, was issued last Friday by United States District Judge Jeremy D. Fogel in San Jose, Calif. Judge Fogel froze OnlineNic’s assets and ordered the transfer to Verizon of all identical or confusingly similar addresses. Verizon sought as much as $66.3 million in damages over names that included myverizonwireless.com, iphoneverizonplans.com and verizon-cellular.com.”

So, it got me thinking. What about donating a large chunk of that to charity? Of course I don’t know how much of the $33M will go in legal expenses. The point is (assuming they get the money) that Verizon have scored $33M. What about doing something good with a % of that?

Desperate Times Lead To Increase In Domain Name Spam

It seems that the people sending the domain name postal mail spam have stopped for Christmas; time now to prepare for the electronic kind. Watch out kids, here it comes!

In order to educate consumers and protect the marketplace from this type of activity, I thought I’d post two examples that have recently popped into my inbox.

I’m just presenting the facts – judge for yourself.

Exhibit A – ZipDomains

I received the email below from i...@zipacquisitions.com. Their website (zipacquisitions.com) diverts to zipdomains.com and has i...@zipdomains.com as the contact.

Both domains are registered to:

Zip Domains i...@zipdomains.com. 233 Middleton Rd. Glenside Wellington 6037 NZ and have a US phone number +1 206-202-1813. Of course I had to call it – its just an automated answering service.

If you check out their website, there is a DNOA logo. However, neither email address can be found in DNOA profile lookup, yet they display the certified reseller logo on their site, without the link.

— Start Of Email —

Subject: edited-out-for-privacy.ORG

Our company specializes in acquiring expired domain names to help individuals and businesses protect their brand online.

The domain name edited-out-for-privacy.COM is expiring and will be available to the public very soon.

We noticed that you own edited-out-for-privacy.ORG and felt that you may be interested.

We can assist in trying to acquire the domain name, as there are likely many interested parties competing for it.

We do not charge upfront, and the fee if we are successful is only $199 USD.

If you are interested, please let us know by December 10 at the latest.
— ends —

I own the .org and the .com is currently in PendingDelete status. So if I say “yeah go ahead”, they just backorder it for me. Who knows…get a few ignorant customers and it might be a nice little earner.

Exhibit B – Register.com

I received an email from register.com with a subject line of “Keep edited-out-for-privacy.COM  Up and Running”.

You can see the graphic below showing “Renewal Notice” in big orange letters. The only thing is that my domain name wasnt due for renewal for another 7 months! But hey, I can pay you $35 for a .com! Now that’s a bargain if I’ve ever seen one!

The ethical issue here is…. a person reading this may think its a domain name renewal notice (therefore thinking their domain is going to expire) and they should pay register.com $$$$. In countries that have relatively mature consumer protection laws (such as Australia) such an email may be regarded as misleading and deceptive conduct. Its important to note that I’m not a lawyer, this is just my opinion – based on receiving this email.

Have you noticed an increase in spam? Post a comment and let us know!

Cry Baby Domainers Locate Godaddys Warehouse

To the left is a secret photo taken inside a leading domainers office. The photo was taken after a recent blog post which alleged that GoDaddy is warehousing domains.

If you look at clause 9 in the ICANN Registrar Agreement it states “Registrar shall abide by any ICANN-adopted policy prohibiting or restricting warehousing of or speculation in domain names by registrars.” As ICANN does not have any adopted policies in this regard, it can’t actually enforce anything.

So, welcome to the world of commercial reality where companies set up subsidiaries to hold their assets. In the case of Godaddy, its been alleged that Standard Tactics LLC performs this activity.

DomainerIncome has recently learned that a rogue group of blonde domainers is heading down to New Mexico to find the actual warehouse belonging to Standard Tactics LLC. Best of luck with the trip.

Somalian Government Wants .so TLD Back

Its been reported that the government of Somalia has applied to IANA requesting the control of the .so TLD. The current delegation of .so is listed in the USA under:

World Class Domains
c/o Monolith Innovation Group
Box 8159
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15217
United States

Apparently .so isn’t operational, so its expected that “World Class Domains” will have to hand it back or somehow prove that the government of Somalia gave them permission to run it.

Jim Reid, founder of RTFM told Network World that “The process could take days, weeks or months; it depends on the workload of IANA staff. It is unlikely that IANA will ignore a request from a sovereign government.”

Given the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war and that there is no Internet Society, its going to be interesting to see how this is managed. My guess is someone is going through a list of 3rd world countries saying, “Hey, there is this thing called the Internets – its like a series of tubes“. Lets hope Somalia doesn’t go the same way as our friends in Nigeria.

Missing eNom Domain Recovered

Remember that domain name that disappeared out of my eNom account? Thanks to a good deal of escalation at both eNom and NameJet – its back in my account.

I’ve yet to be told how Domain Jingles is involved in this, but

From what I understand, Domain Jingles is a Partner Registrar with eNom for acquiring dropping names. It appears that when I won the domain name from NameJet, the domain was registered in that credential by the eNom process that picks up names in the drop. Later on, the registry at Domain Jingles couldn’t communicate with eNom because a server had changed its IP address due to a subnet modification. For those people that have no idea what I just said – its basically “two computers couldn’t talk to each other”. Of course this doesn’t answer the question as to 1) why the name was removed from my account in the first instance and 2) why eNom support claimed it was no longer registered at eNom. When I contacted support to clarify the error message I was getting with the AuthInfo code (due to Domain Jingles changing their subnet), it seems that the support representative “marked” the domain name as transferred away in the eNom system which caused it to no longer appear in my account.

As you know, I tend to judge people on their auctions, not on their words; so if I was to summarize the experience I’d say that from a customer standpoint, eNom first level support were the main issue as they didn’t identify the problem from the outset. Once the matter was escalated, eNom management sorted it out. Their Tech Support Supervisor was in regular contact, as were senior management at Namejet and a former employee related to Domain Jingles (who just happens to read DomainerIncome).

From my point of view, the message from eNom has been clear – “If there are issues with a pending delete domain they should be reported. Should the problem remain the ticket should be escalated, and the issue will be worked until it is resolved.”

Thanks go to the staff and management at eNom and NameJet who sorted this out.

Network Solutions Sends Email In Response To Phishing Attempts

First eNom, now Network Solutions. I had various reports of the NetSol phishing email, so it was only a matter of time before I started to get them. Amongst the phishing emails was a legit one from Network Solutions themselves.

I’d question their strategy of sending an email response to a phishing email, given that e-mail as a communications channel is not trusted by many consumers. For those that don’t know how to distinguish between the fake email and the real one, I have posted both of them below.

Here is a phishing tip that will save your bacon: Don’t click on links in emails! Use your browser and type in the address that you know manually. If you are one of the (un)lucky ones who has logged into your Network Solutions account recently after clicking on a link from the phishing email below, then you need to change your password AND your security question. Oh… and hope that your domains haven’t been transferred to Siberia.

— this is the evil phishing email —

Return-Path: <laav...@bobrea.plus.com>
From: “networksolutions.com” <supp...@networksolutions.com>
Subject: Inaccurate whois information.
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:03:17 -0500

Dear Network Solutions® Customer,

On Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:03:17 -0500 we received a third party complaint of invalid domain contact information in the Whois database for this domain Whenever we receive a complaint, we are required by ICANN regulations to initiate an investigation as to whether the contact data displaying in the Whois database is valid data or not. If we find that there is invalid or missing data, we contact both the registrant and the account holder and inform them to update the information.

Please note: ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) regulations state that the WHOIS Administrative Contact may initiate and approve domain name registration transfers from your Network Solutions account to other Registrars. If you are not listed as the WHOIS Administrative Contact a transfer can occur without your knowledge if Domain Protect is not enabled for the domain name registrations listed above.

To change the WHOIS Administrative Contact Information for any of your domains, please login to Account Manager:

1. Log in to Account Manager at: http://www.networksolutions.com.sys67.biz.
2. Click on the “Profile & Accounts” tab in the left navigation menu to be taken to a page listing your account details.
3. Click on “Accounts” and select the account you wish to edit.
4. Click “View/Edit WHOIS Contacts” to make your updates.

If you believe someone requested this change without your consent, please contact Customer Service.

If you would like to order additional services or to update your account, please visit us online.

Thank you for choosing Network Solutions. We are committed to providing you with the solutions, services, and support to help you succeed online.

Sincerely,

Network Solutions® Customer Support

— ends —

— this is the real Network Solutions email —

From: “Network Solutions”

Subject: Important: Phishing and Security

Dear Valued Network Solutions(R) Customer:

We’ve recently become aware of a phishing scam targeting domain name customers of a small number of registrars including Network Solutions(R). We wanted to alert you of this situation. Phishing is the practice of luring unsuspecting Internet users to a fake Web site by using an authentic-looking e-mail in an attempt to steal passwords, account information or other sensitive data.

At this time, we know that fraudulent e-mails are being sent to some domain name customers, regardless who the registrar of record is, which include links to sites that look like networksolutions.com or other domain provider sites; however they are fake Web sites. These e-mails are attempting to capture login information. For more information and tips on identifying phishing scams, please visit our blog at www.blog.networksolutions.com/.

If you believe you have received an e-mail of this type, have clicked on the link, and provided your login information, we recommend the following for security purposes:

1. Log in to your account from the Network Solutions Web site.
2. Review your account information for accuracy
3. Choose a new password security question and answer
4. Change your password

Thank you for your attention to this message.

Sincerely,
Network Solutions(R) Customer Support

*****************************************************

This e-mail was sent from a notification-only address. Please do not reply to this message. For Network Solutions customer service inquiries, please visit: http://www.networksolutions.com/help/index.jsp

Please note, in accordance with our Privacy Policy, we will continue to send you notices and other important information affecting your account or services in order to fulfill our service obligations to you.

Access our Privacy Policy: customersupport.networksolutions.com/article.php?id=3D306

Access our Service Agreement:

http://www.networksolutions.com/legal/static-service-agreement.jsp

(c) 2008 Network Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved. Network Solutions, 13861 Sunrise Valley Drive, Dept ACQM, Herndon, VA 20171

— ends —

eNom Loses Domain – Uses Schultz Defense

I am often astounded at the incompetence of others. One of the major problems with these “virtual assets” is that we rely on other companies to hold them for us. Its not like money, where you can take it out of the bank and put it under your mattress.

Here is a classic example of a story that is unfolding right now about one of my domain names.

The registrar in question, eNom is using the Sgt Schultz defense of “I know nothing” and its driving me crazy. Has this ever happened to you?

Timeline

1. Win NameJet auction on December 4, 2007 and the domain goes into my eNom account.

2. Receive renewal notice on October 20, 2008 from eNom saying that my domain name will expire on 11-30-2008.

3. Try to transfer the domain name out to another registrar. When I try to release the lock at eNom I get “Failed to get Registrar Lock Status“. When I click on “Email Auth Code to Registrant” it says “Domain does not have an AuthInfo key“. Very strange – so I contact eNom support.

4. eNom support say “This domain is not registered with eNom at this time” and that its with “Registrar: DOMAIN JINGLES, INC.”. This is interesting, because I can SEE THE DOMAIN IN MY ACCOUNT !!! I also don’t have an account with Domain Jingles.

5. I check the Domain Jingles whois and it says my domain is “Registration Service Provided By: eNom, Inc.” Hmmm….

6. I update the support ticket with these new facts and receive this response from eNom: “We have forwarded this ticket to our senior technical support staff to research further. Depending on what we find it might be a few days before we have a solution or additional questions for you. I have requested a resolution as quickly as possible to minimize your wait time.”

7. Today I login to my eNom account and the domain name is no longer there. It’s just disappeared! I have received no notices to transfer it out. The whois data is registered under my name and my contact email address. Nothing has changed except that its no longer in my account.

8. I called eNom phone support in the USA. They tell me that the domain is with DomainJingles (who is  an eNom reseller) and that I should call them. The support staff also tell me that they will flag this ticket and ask their techo’s to investigate. I explain the obvious concerns I have about:

• Having a domain in my account that suddenly disappeared.
• The fact that the domain name expires in a months time and nobody can tell me where it went!
• The registrar asks me (their customer) to contact THEIR reseller, who I don’t know.

I’ve tried to make contact with Domain Jingles, and will keep you all posted on further developments. In the meantime, if you can think of anything feel free to post a comment.

Auction Won: In Your Registrar Account = Not Your Domain?

At what point is a domain name yours? When you have won the auction and its in your account at the registrar? Think again.

On Feb 2, 2008 I won a Snapnames auction with a final price of US$173. The domain has more than made its money back, yesterday it made US$1.50.

When I won the name at Snapnames, the registration provider was ItsYourDomain.com. The domain expires in December 2008 – so I thought it was about time that I transferred it out to another provider.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to get the name transferred. The domain is in my account, I have the auth code, transfer shield was disabled – everything is ready to go.

The only problem was that it appeared that SecureWhois appeared to be on and therefore my new registrar couldn’t send emails to the admin and technical contacts. Here is what it looked like:

Registrant
Pending Renewal or Deletion
SecureWhois, Inc.
pend...@onlineaccess.net
96 Mowat
Toronto, ON M6K 3M1 CA
+1.4165385428
+1.4163520113 (FAX)

After a number of failed requests to disable SecureWhois, I received this email from their Technical Support staff:

“It looks like the domain had expired long time ago and was deleted from our system, it is now in pending delete status at the Registrar level. If you are interested we can check the price to get the domain back from the registrar.”

I was thinking… wait a minute…. something isn’t right here… I won this thing in Feb! So after writing back to their support dept asking them to “get the domain back immediately” – I decided to give them a call…. and by some miracle, they answered their support number!

It turns out that I never received the domain in the first place! Although the name appeared in my registrar account and I could make changes to it, the domain was “marked in the system” as being a backorder, and not actually “allocated” to me. After feeling somewhat in the twilight zone, I was told that they would immediately put a request through to allocate it to me and that I should see the change in the whois record. Sure enough, the change went through. That domain in my account that I’ve been making $$ from is now… well… mine.

What’s the lesson learned from all of this? Just because you see a domain in your account at your registrar, doesn’t mean its yours! Check the whois record.

P.S. Yes, this is a separate issue from yesterday. I don’t know whether its the “law of attraction” here, but everything seems to be happening at once!

Cameroon Offers Second Level .CM Domains

NETCOM.cm SARL, the official registry operator for the Republic of Cameroon has announced the launch of second level CM domain names.

Kids – come and get your .COM.CM, .NET.CM, and .CO.CM.

Applications must be made through an accredited registrar. You can also get some great bedtime reading flicking through the rules and registration policies.

Here are the launch details:

• Sunrise Period Opens – 15 Oct 2008 (10.00 UTC) – Registered trademarks to apply
• Sunrise period closes – 31 Oct 2008
• Sunrise challenge period – 1 Nov 2008 – to 14 Nov 208
• General Registrations – 15 November 2008 (10.00 UTC) on a first-come-first-served basis

Here comes the next gold mine, revolution, never to be repeated land rush, land grab, extravoganza to get all those names you just need to have.

So who will be the first registrar to spam the hell out of me with this crap send me opt-in advertising for related services?