[DNS] domain name news - 2 April

[DNS] domain name news - 2 April

From: David Goldstein <goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au>
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:32:11 -0700 (PDT)
Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news.


And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Cyber Bill May Misunderstand ICANN
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/cyber-bill-may-misunderstand-i.php

Melbourne IT Survey Finds Brand Owners Divided on New gTLDs
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7677

US Senate Legislation Would Federalise Cybersecurity
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103684.html

Bills call for cyber adviser, private network security regulations
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090401_6424.php

Asia, Europe, S. America Biggest Conficker Targets
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/03/asia_europe_s_america_biggest.html

DHS Releases Conficker/Downadup Computer Worm Detection Tool [news release]
http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1238443907751.shtm

Antivirus companies' worst fears realised as Conficker does... nothing
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/apr/01/conficker-worm-virus-april-effects

Conficker's Zero Hour Arrives Without Event -- Yet [IDG]
http://www.pcworld.com/article/162357/.html

Conficker May Be More Widespread Than Previously Thought [IDG]
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040209-conficker-may-be-more-widespread.html

German researchers score Conficker detection breakthrough
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3043

Commission acts to protect Europe from cyber-attacks and disruptions [news release]
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/494


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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Cyber Bill May Misunderstand ICANN
Legislation unveiled Wednesday by Senate Commerce Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, would require greater oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The private entity based in California is slated to sever formal ties with the Commerce Department later this year and is working on a controversial plan that would change the way top-level domains, such as .biz, .info, and .us, are assigned.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/04/cyber-bill-may-misunderstand-i.php

Melbourne IT Survey Finds Brand Owners Divided on New gTLDs
Melbourne IT has published the results of a survey that has found its corporate clients are divided on their response to the introduction of new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). Issues raised in the survey included the branding advantages of new gTLDs, however these were balanced by concerns of costs and the added complexity for some clients.
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7677
http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/01/melbourne-it-survey-finds-brand-owners-divided-on-new-gtlds/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/brand-owners-divided-on-new-gtlds-melbourne-it-survey-finds.html

Threatdown: GAC Wants Second Level Place Names Protected
I think it?s time to start a ?Threatdown? for domain owners, a la Stephen Colbert. The threats to domain name owners in the new top level domain process at ICANN are far scarier than Colbert?s perennial threat: bears.
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/03/30/threatdown-gac-wants-second-level-place-names-protected/

Complicating ICANN's New TLDs Decision
Drawing on standard-setting approaches and the regulatory options at the disposal of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), I outline three alternative venues to decide on launching new TLDs. ICANN needs to analyze all these venues before making a final procedural decision.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090331_complicating_icanns_new_tlds_decision/

ICANN?s Economic Reports: Finding the Missing Pieces to the Puzzle by Michael D. Palage
The ICANN community has been especially concerned about the economic reports used by ICANN to justify its decisions as to whether, and how, to implement applications for new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). Among the greatest sources of concern has been the failure of ICANN staff to issue a complete public response to the ICANN Board's October 2006 demand that ICANN Staff commission economic studies about gTLDs.
http://pff.org/issues-pubs/ps/2009/pdf/ps5.4icanns-economic-reports.pdf
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090401_icann_economic_reports_missing_pieces/

Fiorina 'seriously considering' bid for Senate
In the realm of technology policy, Carly Fiorina has worn many hats--something other leaders may want to consider, she says. ... The group also recently produced policy recommendations (PDF) for ICANN, the nonprofit organization that governs the Internet domain system. While ICANN may not be regular table talk in Washington, the organization's move toward independence from the United States could have profound implications, Fiorina said. 
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10208671-38.html
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62052740,00.htm

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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NET.BR Launched as Generic Domain
NIC Brasil has announced registrations will be possible for NET.BR, following the liberalising of COM.BR in 2008. As of April 6, 2009 Brazilian people and companies will be able to register domains in this extension.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/04/01/netbr-to-be-available-to-all-brazilians/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/net.br-available-for-all-brazilians.html

ch/li: SWITCH taking action to protect against the Conficker computer worm
SWITCH is taking action to protect internet addresses with the endings .ch and .li from the Conficker computer worm. ... SWITCH has a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) which is constantly observing and analysing the situation. By agreement with other registries, SWITCH has taken appropriate measures to make the further spread of malware more difficult. Customers directly affected by the computer worm will be informed by SWITCH on an ongoing basis.
http://switch.ch/about/news/2009/conficker.html

Porn.ie and Pornography.ie banned in Ireland
I've been trying to register the domains porn.ie and pornography.ie for about four years. Every time I try to register either domain, the Irish Domain Registry (IEDR) refuse my application because "the proposed domain name must not be offensive or contrary to public policy or generally accepted principles of morality."
http://www.sex.ie/mod/groups/topicposts.php?topic=158&group_guid=155

tel: Gaming The Global Phonebook
The Web is an alphabet soup of domain names, ranging from the familiar .com and .net to the European .eu and mobile-focused .mobi.
http://news.alibaba.com/article/detail/technology/100078170-1-gaming-global-phonebook.html

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 - DNS SECURITY
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US Senate Legislation Would Federalise Cybersecurity
Key lawmakers are pushing to dramatically escalate U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, crafting proposals that would empower the government to set and enforce security standards for private industry for the first time.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103684.html

US Senate bill would give feds bigger cybersecurity role in private sector
Two U.S. senators are proposing legislation that would give federal officials significant new authority to create and enforce data security standards both for government agencies and key parts of the private sector.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9130958

Bills call for cyber adviser, private network security regulations
Two senators introduced bills on Wednesday that would establish a direct cybersecurity adviser to the president and regulate how governments and businesses protect their networks from attack, strong actions that security professionals said are necessary to thwart global threats.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090401_6424.php

AT&T lobbyist urges more government coordination of cybersecurity efforts
World governments need to do more to fight cyberterrorism and protect the Internet from attacks, because it has become so vital to commerce and communications, AT&T Inc.'s top lobbyist told reporters today.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9130939

The Senate's Cyber Lightning Rod
If the Bush administration's $30 billion classified cyber defense initiative last year seemed controversial, prepare for a new round of battles over security, privacy and civil liberties in the digital realm.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/01/cybersecurity-government-google-technology-security-cybersecurity.html

US plans national cybersecurity upgrade
A new bill presented to Congress would see mandatory computer security standards imposed on government and private companies that control the critical infrastructure of the US.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2239646/plans-national-cybersecurity

Experts See Early Activity From Conficker Worm
Members of an informal global alliance of computer security specialists who have been trying to eradicate a malicious software program known as Conficker said Tuesday that they were seeing early attempts by the program to communicate with a control server. The researchers said they were uncertain if it had been successful.
http://nytimes.com/2009/04/01/technology/internet/01virus.html

Asia, Europe, S. America Biggest Conficker Targets
It's still not clear what, if anything, millions of Microsoft Windows systems infected with the much-hyped Conficker worm will do in the next 12 hours, when the systems are expected to seek out new instructions from the worm's author(s). If anything significant does happen, however, it will disproportionately affect PCs and networks in Asia, Europe and South America, and comparatively few systems in North America, new research suggests.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/03/asia_europe_s_america_biggest.html

DHS Releases Conficker/Downadup Computer Worm Detection Tool [news release]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today the release of a DHS-developed detection tool that can be used by the federal government, commercial vendors, state and local governments, and critical infrastructure owners and operators to scan their networks for the Conficker/Downadup computer worm.
http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1238443907751.shtm

Antivirus companies' worst fears realised as Conficker does... nothing
The antivirus industry's worst nightmare has come true - again. After weeks warning us that the Conficker worm (aka downadup) might set off an internet conflagration when millions of infected Windows PCs started looking today for new control codes, the worst possible thing has happened: Nothing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/apr/01/conficker-worm-virus-april-effects

Conficker's Zero Hour Arrives Without Event -- Yet [IDG]
An expected activation of the Conficker.c worm at midnight on April 1 passed without incident, despite sensationalized fears that the Internet itself might be affected, but security researchers said users aren't out of the woods yet.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/162357/.html
http://www.infoworld.com/article/09/03/31/Conficker_activation_passes_quietly_but_threat_isnt_over_1.html
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=113667
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040109-conficker-activation-passes-quietly-but.html

Conficker May Be More Widespread Than Previously Thought [IDG]
The Conficker worm may have infected more machines than previously thought, according to Internet infrastructure provider OpenDNS.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/040209-conficker-may-be-more-widespread.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/162447/.html
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=113742

Conficker virus activates - but no computer chaos yet
Computer experts watched warily today as a virus infecting millions of PCs activated itself as predicted on April 1. But fears of internet chaos have proved unfounded ? so far ? as machines infected with the "Conficker" worm tried to establish a link to command servers as expected from midnight to no ill effect.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6013825.ece

Conficker 3.0: April Fool's joke or serious security threat?
It could be just another April Fool's joke, but just in case, security experts are warning Microsoft Windows users that the creators of the Conficker computer worm may launch a new campaign tomorrow to infect as many PCs as possible with their malicious software. This third generation of Conficker?the worm has been on the loose since November and has infected nearly 15 million computers?is expected to use new methods of spreading that security pros have yet to completely block.
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=conficker-30-april-fools-joke-or-se-2009-03-31

Blocking Conficker domain names: Will it work?
On the eve of Conficker.C's expected activation date, April 1, more than 100 providers of top-level domains around the world are trying to block the registration of tens of thousands of domain names that the Conficker worm could start using Wednesday to get botnet instructions.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/033109-blocking-conficker-domain-names.html

Conficker: Over 300,000 Domains Blocked, Millions Infected
With just hours to go before the widespread Conficker worm is expected to activate, researchers say they're relying on new efforts to help mitigate the risk and detect the worm itself.
http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3813026

New Free Scanners Available For Detecting Conficker Worm Infections
Researchers spent the weekend building a proof-of-concept set of tools to kill the Conficker worm after discovering something telling about the malware: It changes the way Windows machines appear on the network.
http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216401789

Conficker virus could be deadly threat ? or April Fool's joke
It could be the biggest April Fool's joke ever played on the internet, or it could be one of the worst days ever for computers connected to the network. Security experts can't work out whether the Conficker virus ? which has infected more than 10m Windows PCs worldwide ? will wreak havoc on Wednesday , or just let the day pass quietly.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/30/conficker-virus-computing

Conficker flaw reveals which computers are infected
Even worm creators write buggy software. Once it infects a computer, the Conficker worm closes the hole in Windows that it used to get onto the system so no other malware can get in. This also makes it difficult for organizations to detect which computers have the legitimate Microsoft patch and which have the fake Conficker patch.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10207375-83.html

Researchers exploit Conficker flaw to find infected PCs
Just days before the Conficker worm is set to contact its controllers for new instructions, security researchers have discovered a flaw in the worm that makes it much easier for users to detect infected PCs.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9130733

German researchers score Conficker detection breakthrough
Just days ahead of an April 1st activation date for the Conficker worm squirming through the Windows operating system, security researchers at the Honeynet Project have scored a major breakthrough, finding a way to fingerprint the malware on infected networks.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=3043

Group Takes Conficker Fight to a New Level [IDG]
Forming a global alliance to fight cybercrime isn't easy, and building an organization that can stay one step ahead of cyber crooks in more than 100 countries is close to impossible. But a band of volunteers calling itself Conficker Working Group thinks it can do it.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/162352/.html

Conficker demonstrates complexity of IT security
With recent coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and 60 Minutes, the sophisticated Conficker worm has become mainstream news. Yes, the underlying concepts may be a bit complex for John Q. Public, but I think this media attention is a great public service. Users need this type of education to better understand the risks associated with Internet connectivity.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10207427-83.html

Conficker Fears Create Fertile Ground for Other Scammers
The ripple effect of the Conficker worm is starting to draw in people concerned about the security of their computers. Many who try to do something about it by searching for removal tools are running into scams and even more malware, thanks to black hat search engine optimization.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/66685.html

Commission acts to protect Europe from cyber-attacks and disruptions [news release]
Electronic communication services and networks provide the backbone of European economy. 93% of EU companies and 51% of Europeans actively used the internet in 2007. However natural disasters, terrorist attacks, malicious human action and hardware failure can pose serious risks to Europe's critical information infrastructures. Recent large scale attacks on Estonia, Lithuania and Georgia proved that essential electronic communication services and networks are under constant threat. Preparing Europe to act in case of major disruptions or attacks is the goal of a new strategy proposed today by the European Commission.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/494

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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NIST seeks comments on IPv6 testing guidelines
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued a request for comments on Special Publication 500-273, "IPv6 Test Methods: General Description and Validation,? which was recently released to the public
http://www.gcn.com/Articles/2009/03/31/IPv6-testing-document.aspx

Is the Internet doomed to fail?
Sounds like a crazy question, in this era of Facebook, Twitter and a "digital millennial" generation that's grown up never not knowing the Internet. But there are worrying signs that the Internet's architecture may not be able to scale effectively much longer.
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2009/040109johnson.html

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Be wary of domain name offers from China
If you have a domain name or Web site, you've likely received a message from "Margaret" or "Tina" in the "Checking Department." Margaret (or Tina) will explain to you in her e-mail that "Mr. John Zhou has attempted to register a domain name similar to yours!" This is a common trick in the sketchy and shady domain name business.
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990331042

Bit.ly and the Dangers of ccTLDs
I?ve warned about the dangers of country code top level domains. Rogers Cadenhead made some interesting observations about Bit.ly, a URL shortening service that just scored $2M in funding.
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/03/31/bitly-and-the-dangers-of-cctlds/

UltraDNS service knocked offline by attack
NeuStar confirmed that its UltraDNS managed DNS service was knocked offline for several hours Tuesday morning by a distributed denial of service attack.
http://computerworld.com.au/article/297744/
http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/297744/

UltraDNS back online after DDoS assault
A distributed denial of service attack knocked NeuStar's UltraDNS managed DNS service offline for several hours on Tuesday.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/01/ultradns_ddos/

Kentucky to Pass Law Forbidding Parked Pages
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is at it again - and this time he?s targeting parked domains.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/april-1/kentucky-pass-law-forbidding-parked-pages/4636

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Sedo Finds Buyers Lounging on Garden Furniture
A slow week in the week ending March 21 for Sedo when it comes to large domain name sales. The biggest seller was a pair of .de domains, gartenm?bel.de and gartenmoebel.de (garden furniture in German) that sold for ?100,000 (US$132,000) for the pair.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/03/31/sedo-finds-buyers-lounging-on-garden-furniture/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/sedo-finds-buyers-lounging-on-garden-furniture.html

Sedo Gets Results, Sells Results.com for $500,000
I won?t have official numbers until tomorrow, but it looks like Sedo has had another great sales week. Sedo just tweeted that it sold Results.com for $500,000 and BabyShop.com for $85,000.
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/03/30/sedo-gets-results-sells-resultscom-for-500000/



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(c) David Goldstein 2009


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David Goldstein
http://davidgoldstein.tel/
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
COOGEE NSW 2034
AUSTRALIA
email: Goldstein_David &#167;yahoo.com.au
phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)


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Received on Thu Apr 02 2009 - 00:32:11 UTC

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