The Domain Name Game

Plaque on the ICANN (Internet Corporation for ...

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The foundation of the web is the Domain Name System. Connected computers also have a IP (Internet Protocol) address which is a set of numbers, but domain names like trademarks or brands are much easier to remember. The names are registered and used to look up an individual or entities web site.

Domain names carry a message and sometimes a meaning. An address of yourname@homeplace.net hints it is a personal contact. An address of bbb.edu says it is an education organization.Domains may be controlled by someone else, but domains can also be bought for an annual fee. Owning a domain name gives an individual or entity rights. This website, domainnamerights.org, has articles that give different perspectives on this fact. Owning a domain name gives a person control over their image or their business image. In Internet marketing, this aspect alone can make or break a company because to make money an entity must have a web presence. Putting a unique name with a unique website with unique products will result in the phenomenon of branding. Branding is where customers associate an idea, standard or image with a set of words so that when they are heard immediately the image is impressed indelibly on the consumer’s mind. It is what businesses dream and strive for.

Domain names are considered intellectual property that is protected and regulated by policy. The agency that oversees this is called ICANN which stands for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The names are global property with global rules.Like any other piece of property is subject to court proceedings when violations occur.

 

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How HTTPS Secures Data Transmissions

The protocol which is the industry standard for securely transmitting data across the Internet is called HTTPS, which stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure,” and is used to create secure web-pages.  It works in tandem with and operates the same as any other site created by HTTP, as the same language is used to create the web content. The sole difference is that when data is sent through the Internet it is all encrypted providing it with a level of security.

If you are on a site that begins with the prefix https:// web server is prepared to establish a secure communication path for your transmission. A completely different port is used, number 443, which keeps non-secure data separate from secure data.

The connection path it follows a sequence something like this:

  1. Your browser verifies the authenticity of the server by inspecting its certificate. These certificates can only be issued by particular governing bodies which charge a fee to the companies who make use of them.
  2. Once your browser has confirmed the certificate it then locates the encryption types offered by the server.
  3. Once the encryption type is agreed upon between both the server and your browser they exchange unique encryption keys which only they know (the server and the browser) and use them to encrypt the data.
  4. Using the keys the browser can then encrypt the data and transmit to the server where it uses the same key to decode the transmission and receive exactly the same thing a person sees (or enters) on their screen.

The process as described is much more complex than communications conducted by simple HTTP. Because of the extra overhead this creates the speed of transmission is generally recognizably slower – as is the decryption on the server that receives the information. Because HTTPS only picks up encrypted data should a packet sniffer steal any packets in transit the data hijacker receives will be encrypted and of no use (or sense) to the person attacking the transmission.

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Keep Your Domain Safe


Do you own or manage a website? If so, are you the owner of the site’s
domain name? It sounds like a simple question, but in many cases the
owner of the site is not actually listed in the domain registrar’s
records. Why is this important? Because the person or organization
listed in the domain registrar’s records has complete control over the
domain name, and hence, the website.

When a new domain name is registered with a domain registrar, certain
details are filled out to provide a profile of the website owner for the
registrar’s records. All too often, the actual owner of the website and
the individual or business purchasing the domain name are not the same.
Here is an example: Joe Smith elects to create a website for his
business, Widgets inc. Mr. Smith hires a web designer to create the
website, and this web designers purchases the domain from a registrar.
Because the web designer made the purchase, she elects to make herself
the contact for the domain registrar. Now, she has complete control over
the domain name.

All too often, situations like this end in the rightful owner of the domain
name losing control over their own site. Since they are not listed on
the actual domain name record, they may not be able to stop their domain
name from being hijacked, stolen, sold or simply allowed to expire.

However, this scenario is quite easy to avoid: if you own a website, checking
the domain registrar’s records to ensure that you (or your organization)
are listed as the primary contact or owner of the domain. Sometimes
avoiding potential disaster can be a matter of a few simple steps!

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Understanding Warehoused Domain Names

When you first hear the phrase “warehoused domain names,” a physical
warehouse may come to mind. It is an apt metaphor– in the world of the
Internet, domain name registrars are quite similar to warehouse owners.
In their warehouses sit stacks of unused domain names, ready for the
public to purchase.

But what happens once someone in the public purchases a domain name for a
year, then lets the domain expire, meaning that they choose not to renew
it? In cases like this, many domain registrars opt to either warehouse
the domain or auction it off to the highest-paying party. This is where
the ethics get tricky. Some domain registrars warehouse these expired
domains in under-handed ways.

For example, some accuse registrars of making high value domain names
difficult to renew, or “forgetting” to send registration reminders. When
these domains expire, the registrars are quick to use them to test out a
potential market. They may place relevant ad space on the website or
use it to direct traffic to another site which they own.

In 2008 this issue came to the forefront of the web hosting
community with a controversial court case involving a major domain
registrar. However, other registrars use domain warehousing in more
conventional ways– “warehoused” domains can provide supplemental
traffic, advertising for the registrar, or serve as a way to redirect
traffic to the registrar’s main site.

Anti-warehousing advocates claim that this practice may make new domain registrations
more unlikely. Indeed, it would seem that if domain registrars are
earning income from warehoused sites, they may be more likely to
artificially inflate the prices on these valuable sites.

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Recovering Stolen or Hijacked Domain Names

Many of us take our security on the Internet for granted. We all know that
identity theft is a problem, so we take appropriate steps to guard
against it. But do we take the same steps when using the Internet? Many
times, web users have one easy to guess password used for all of their
Internet log-ins. Because of this (and other vulnerabilities), it is
possible for web ne’er do wells to hijack or steal domain names.

What can you do if your domain name has been stolen or hijacked? It depends
on how the domain ownership was changed. In many cases, hijackers have
simply acquired personal information about the owner (such as a password
or even a social security number) and used it to contact the domain
registrar and take ownership of the domain by impersonating the rightful
owner. If this is the case, immediately contact your domain registrar.
Verify your identity and ask for any recent changes to be reversed. This
will sometimes involve completing paperwork and signing documents
proving your identity.

In other cases, hijackers exploit vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the
systems of domain registrars. These vulnerabilities are typically
short-term security issues that are able to be resolved. Once weaknesses
are repaired, the steps outlined above can be taken to restore the
domain name in most cases.

However, these steps may not be enough to recover all domains. Unfortunately,
the legal status of domain hijacking is unclear. While it is considered
theft by many, in the eyes of the law it may not be seen as such. In
fact, court cases regarding allegedly stolen or hijacked domain names
have been known to drag on for months or in some cases, even years.
Until the crime becomes more completely understood by the legal system,
recovering hijacked domains may continue to be a difficult and
time-consuming process.

Because of this, it is very important to ensure domain names are secure by
using reputable domain registrars and taking necessary precautions
regarding passwords and other information vulnerable to theft.

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