Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the most recent edition of the domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! The domain name news is supported by auDA. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hackers target core internet computers http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2007757,00.html DNS Attack: Only a Warning Shot? http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=116685&WT.svl=news1_3 The time to plan for disaster is now http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/43101-1.html VeriSign to spend over $100M on upgrade http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/ces2005/2007-02-08-verising-upgrade_x.htm ***************** GOVERNANCE ***************** Internet Governance forum to hold stock-taking session, Geneva, 13 February (UN news release) Following the first-ever gathering of the IGF a special stock-taking session will take place next Tuesday, 13 February, at Geneva?s Palais des Nations where Forum participants will assess the achievements of the inaugural meeting and pave the way forward to the next phase of the Forum taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 12 to 15 November. http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/9345 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** Hackers target core internet computers Hackers last night mounted the most significant attack since 2002 on the computers that direct traffic on the internet, it emerged today. The hackers, believed to be from Asia, bombarded the 13 computers, or root servers, that serve as the internet's central address books. http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2007757,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6338261.stm Hackers hit key Internet traffic computers (AP) Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks against the Internet since 2002. http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/02/06/internet.attacks.ap/index.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/06/AR2007020601563.html http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3658551 DDoSers bombard Military root server (and more) At least three DNS root servers, including one maintained by the US Department of Defense, were flooded with data for about 12 hours in an attack that was notable more for its audacity than any noticeable degradation of internet traffic. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/07/root_server_attack/ DNS Attack: Only a Warning Shot? An attack on the Internet infrastructure yesterday may signal a hint of bigger things to come. The distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attack that temporarily crippled -- but didn't take down -- two of the Internet's 13 Domain Name System (DNS) root servers was likely a test-run for a potentially larger and more disruptive attack, researchers say. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=116685&WT.svl=news1_3 The time to plan for disaster is now As the RSA security conference was getting under way Tuesday, a massive denial-of-service attack was being directed at three of the Internet?s root Domain Name System servers. http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/43101-1.html Hackers Launch Massive Attack on Internet DNS Hackers on Tuesday attacked at least three of the root servers that maintain the Internet's domain name system. However, the 12-hour-long attacks were largely unsuccessful, as most Internet users didn't notice any impact. The system's resilience is largely due to robust protection and a high degree of redundancy built into it. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/55626.html http://news.com.com/2100-7349_3-6156944.html http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/983215 http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21193231-1702,00.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/06/AR2007020601563.html Root Server Attack Fizzles An attack, apparently intended to get the attention of the security community, failed in its attempt to bring down, or even slow down, the Internet, analysts say. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2091782,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594 Internet Attacked! (Did Anyone Notice?) Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of "Safer Internet Day," a 40-country effort to raise awareness about computer and Internet security. But the day probably didn't feel too safe for the dozens of unheralded technologists responsible for defending the World Wide Web against one of the most concerted attacks against the Internet's core since a similar assault in 2002. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/02/internet_survives_major_attack.html VeriSign to spend over $100M on upgrade VeriSign Inc. said it will spend more than $100 million in a massive infrastructure upgrade to combat a new wave of computer attacks and manage a surge in online activity. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/ces2005/2007-02-08-verising-upgrade_x.htm http://iht.com/articles/2007/02/08/business/net.php http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/technology/08net.html http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2007/02/05/daily73.html http://technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=18160&ch=biztech VeriSign invests in DNS improvements (IDG) VeriSign Inc. plans to invest US$100 million over three years to expand tenfold the DNS infrastructure it operates for the .com and .net top-level domains. http://infoworld.com/article/07/02/08/HNverisigndns_1.html http://www.itworld.com/Net/2572/070208verisigndns/ Click Fraud: A Growing Nuisance for Web Advertisers, Part 1 Online advertisers pay the search engine company hosting their ad a set amount of money each time a computer user clicks on the ad. Click fraud occurs when an individual or group of people, either manually or through a computer program, repeatedly clicks on an ad to inflate the payment owed the publishers. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/55606.html us: Sixth Circuit Censures Cybersquatting (reg req'd) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a district court?s award of summary judgment, injunctive relief and attorneys? fees in favor of Audi AG, holding that Defendant Bob D?Amato infringed and diluted the world-famous AUDI, AUDI FOUR RING LOGO, and QUATTRO marks (the "Audi Trademarks"), along with the distinctive trade dress of Audi?s automobiles, and violated the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA). http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=46186 Sexy content may get dedicated home in cyberspace A controversial proposal to create a special domain for pornographic content on the Internet -- dubbed the .xxx domain -- appears to be gaining momentum after years of on-again, off-again negotiations with the Internet's technical coordinating body. http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php/id;1943934025;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1943934025;fp;2;fpid;1 Dot-XXX and Tiered/Differential Pricing: Permitted? by George Kirikos As folks will recall, there was a big debate about tiered/differential pricing in the .biz/info/org contracts. Eventually those contracts were amended to prevent that. However, if folks read the .XXX proposed contract, Appendix S, Part 2, under ?delegated authority? (page 66 of the PDF), appears to give the Registry Operator total control to make policy regarding pricing. http://www.circleid.com/posts/dot_xxx_tiered_differential_pricing_permitted/ Sexy content may get dedicated domain A controversial proposal to create a special domain for pornographic content on the Internet - dubbed the .xxx domain - appears to be gaining momentum after years of on-again, off-again negotiations with the Internet's technical coordinating body. http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=7144 cn: Copyright campaign an 'everyday' affair Online copyright violations are "still rampant" despite the first nationwide campaign to crack down on the activities, China's top copyright official admitted. ... For websites which continue to flout rules by adopting new domain names, the intellectual property rights (IPR) administration will work with the public security forces to take the operators to the criminal court, he said. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-02/09/content_805368.htm th: Mother of the Internet is gloomy In 1987, when the first issue of Database was being put together, Dr Kanchana Kanchanasut of the Asian Institute of Technology was busy registering a domain name with ARPA's then new and ground breaking ARPANET. But it was not just any domain name -- it was the .TH top level domain. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southeastasia.asp?parentid=63276 Protection of Personal Names in Domain Names by Martin Schwimmer David Pecker is the chairman of American Media, Inc., publisher of, among others, National Enquirer and Weekly World News. 'Mr. Ferris' registered the domain name DAVIDPECKER.COM, had a PPC company host it, where it was keyed to ads for porn, because, according to the registrant, the word PECKER was in the domain name. Mr. Pecker brought a UDRP. Although 'Mr. Ferris' (as he is identified in the decision) did not seem (to me) that he could establish a bona fide intent to use the name in conenction with an offering of goods or services, and altohugh there seemed to be plausible evidence of bad faith, the UDRP was denied. http://www.circleid.com/posts/protection_personal_name_domain/ Country star Keith Urban sues over rights to keithurban.com What?s in a name? Well, ask Keith Urban. Both of them. The Keith Urban you have likely heard of last week filed a federal lawsuit against a New Jersey man named Keith D. Urban over the use of the Internet domain name www.keithurban.com. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=54493 http://stuff.co.nz/3954090a4500.html http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20070207-012559-1451r.htm MGM floored over Wargames.com The owner of Wargames.com - a website dedicated to selling, well, wargames - has won the right to retain the domain name despite the best attempts of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to wrest it from him. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/07/domain_dispute/ http://redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=21154 Network Solutions about to be Aquired by General Atlantic? General Atlantic, a private equity firm, are allegedly acquiring domain name registrar Network Solutions, Techcrunch.com have stated. http://webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=19319 Is Expired Domain Registration Still Profitable? After the dot com crash, expired domain names and expired domain name traffic have been a source of potential income. It is important to inexpensively obtain the automated tools required to track the thousands of domain name registration and abandoned websites that are removed from the domain registry and become available for purchase. http://market-day.net/head_54484/20070208/Is-Expired-Domain-Registration-Still-Profiotable.php USAuto.com Motors to the Top of the Weekly Domain Sales Chart In Domain Name Journal's weekly chart of top sales, the top sale for this week was for SAuto.com at $40,001. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2007/domainsales02-06-07.htm dotMobi ramps up mobile content drive Free software tools are being offered to dot-mobi website developers to improve the quality of content behind the mobile top-level domain name. http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,61987785,00.htm National Arbitration Forum Issues Three Decisions on Internet Trademark Domain Name Disputes (news release) The National Arbitration Forum recently issued decisions on three separate domain name disputes filed by Magic Johnson, MGM Studios and New Pig Corporation. http://prweb.com/releases/2007/2/prweb503308.htm Nazareth Associates Announces the Sale of jazzandblues.com (news release) Nazareth Associates has Announced that the Undeveloped Domain Name jazzandblues.com is up for Sale for US$10,000 http://webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=19333 us: GoDaddy Claims Success With Super Bowl Ad GoDaddy.com saw its market share increase 75 percent on February 5, the day after the Super Bowl according to Hitwise. Their commercial was rated as one of the ?least favorite? but the site still managed to attract more new customers and saw improved sales. http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/02/07/godaddy-claims-success-with-super-bowl-ad .Eu a hit with users, but a mystery to others A large majority of British businesses with a .eu domain name believe it to be an effective business tool in a recent survey, while a separate survey found that half of UK businesses do not even know what the .eu domain stands for. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/05/dot_eu_perceptions/ us: Candy company sues over domain name A Red River Valley candy company is suing a Fargo woman for an alleged trademark violation. http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=92583 http://sharewatch.com/story.php?storynumber=316875 http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/05/ap3396396.html Tucows reports continued strong results for the fourth quarter and year end fiscal 2006 (news release) Tucows reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2006. http://earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,58107.shtml us: Ad firm snags Internet domains A Sanford Health business partner has quietly registered dozens of Internet domain names using variations of the word "Sanford," according to Internet registry site whois.com. http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070205/NEWS/702050321 ********************** OTHER INTERNET NEWS ********************** Blogs come under Olympic scrutiny The IOC is examining what to do about blogs posted by athletes during the Olympic Games. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/02/08/1170524216063.html at: Vienna busts huge child porn ring Austria has uncovered an international child pornography network involving more than 2,360 suspects from 77 countries, the interior minister said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6338125.stm Child Pornography on Vienna Computer Prompts Worldwide Hunt Austrian authorities have gathered information on more than 2,360 individuals from 77 countries who tried to view child pornography through a Russian Web site stored on a Vienna computer, the country?s Interior Ministry said Wednesday. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/world/europe/08austria.html uk: Crackdown on paedophiles' internet aliases Internet paedophiles could be forced to register all their online nicknames and email addresses with the authorities as part of a new crackdown, it was revealed today. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2007095,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6333673.stm Double-take on Net pornography study A two-year-old study on teens' exposure to online pornography went far and wide in the news Monday--much further than last summer, when the study's findings were first announced by the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. http://news.com.com/2061-12645_3-6156470.html Rising number of kids exposed to online porn More children and teens are being exposed to online pornography, mostly by accidentally viewing sexually explicit websites while surfing the internet, researchers say. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/02/05/1170524016988.html Net safety day marked worldwide Efforts to make the net less risky for children are being marked by the fourth Internet Safety Day on 6 February. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6332619.stm au: Safer Internet Day - educating young people across the world Australian Internet users are set to make online history this week when they participate in the second worldwide Blogathon as part of Safer Internet Day on February 6, 2007. http://netalert.net.au/03828-Safer-Internet-Day---educating-young-people-across-the-world.asp Google's Schmidt pitches 'self-governing' Net Google CEO Eric Schmidt's nightmare scenario for a future Internet looks like this: As billions more people go online, those in power are so "freaked out" about the misuse of personal information that they suffocate the Web with stifling regulations. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6156821.html Deal ends Beatles' Apple battle Technology giant Apple reaches a deal with the Beatles to end the dispute over the Apple name. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6332319.stm http://news.com.com/2100-1030_3-6156158.html Gates says technology's biggest challenge is keeping data secure Keeping information secure in this age of laptop-lugging workers is the tech industry's most formidable challenge, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said Tuesday. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/16637223.htm German police attack ban on computer surveillance (Reuters) German police on Tuesday attacked a court ruling banning them from secretly monitoring computers, saying electronic searches were essential to hunting down terrorism suspects. http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2007-02-06T135853Z_01_L06152618_RTRUKOC_0_US-GERMANY-COURT-SPYING.xml German police barred from secretly searching computers over Internet (AP) Police cannot secretly search suspects' computer hard drives over the Internet, a German court ruled Monday. The decision of the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe bars police from using software to search through remote hard drives unless parliament passes a law explicitly allowing the technique. Police, however, still will be allowed to seize evidence from PCs when conducting searches in person. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/16628932.htm http://out-law.com/page-7737 Singaporean jailed for illegal wireless access, bomb hoax (AP) A Singapore man was sentenced to three months in prison Wednesday for illegally accessing wireless Internet networks and posting a bomb threat, becoming the first person in the city-state to be jailed for logging onto someone else's wireless Web account. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/16645313.htm us: Senator to propose surveillance of illegal images A forthcoming bill in the U.S. Senate lays the groundwork for a national database of illegal images that Internet service providers would use to automatically flag and report suspicious content to police. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6156976.html us: GOP revives ISP-tracking legislation All Internet service providers would need to track their customers' online activities to aid police in future investigations under legislation introduced Tuesday as part of a Republican "law and order agenda." http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6156948.html nl: Dutch spammer fined $97,000 for sending 9 billion unwanted e-mails (AP) A spammer whom authorities say e-mailed more than 9 billion unwanted advertisements for products like erection pills faces a hefty fine: If he needs headache medication or debt relief there's probably an unsolicited ad in his own inbox. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/16608875.htm Firefox claws away at Explorer MORE than a fifth of Australians now use the Mozilla Firefox web browser, even though site compatibility issues mean it sometimes must be used in conjunction with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, researcher Nielsen Net Ratings says. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21176120%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html Aussies bid to share the video wealth Three Australians to take on the YouTube video-sharing giant with a site of their own. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/02/08/1170524213679.html us: NY Senator Wants iPods Out of Crosswalks New York pedestrians could find themselves on the wrong side of the law just for crossing the street while chatting on a cell phone or listening to an iPod if state Senator Carl Kruger gets his way. The New York lawmaker plans to introduce legislation to make it illegal to use portable electronic devices such as a BlackBerry or PlayStation Portable game console while crossing the street. The legislation comes after the deaths of two pedestrians in Sen. Kruger's Brooklyn district within the past five months. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/55652.html I hate Macs Unless you have been walking around with your eyes closed, and your head encased in a block of concrete, with a blindfold tied round it, in the dark - unless you have been doing that, you surely can't have failed to notice the current Apple Macintosh campaign starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, which has taken over magazines, newspapers and the internet in a series of brutal coordinated attacks aimed at causing massive loss of resistance. ... I hate Macs. I have always hated Macs. I hate people who use Macs. I even hate people who don't use Macs but sometimes wish they did. Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui. http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2005931,00.html Gmail now a free-for-all Service ready to accept all comers after invitation-only phase. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-02-08-gmail-for-all_x.htm http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1352352.ece New Energy Star ratings for PCs on the way Standards for energy-efficient PCs are about to take a step forward for the first time in more than a decade. http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-6157317.html Will MySpace ever lose its monopoly? Aristotle distinguished between friendships based on communal interests and those of soulmates who bonded out of mutual affection. The vast majority of people signed up for MySpace, Rupert Murdoch's phenomenally successful networking site, fall into the former category. But on present showing that won't stop its continuing expansion which, as the MySpace generation goes into employment, could eventually extend Murdoch's influence in ways that would make his grip on satellite television seem parochial. http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2007709,00.html au: Man sentenced for importing child porn AN Austrian man has received a six-month suspended jail sentence and fine for importing child pornography into Queensland. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21194000-1702,00.html au: Child porn accused prosecutor quits A SENIOR prosecutor facing a possible jail term for possessing child pornography has resigned from the Office of the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21192653-29277,00.html au: Man in court over child porn A SYDNEY man will face court today charged with possessing child pornography. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,21196880-1702,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.comReceived on Wed Feb 14 2007 - 00:28:43 UTC
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