If you didn't hate Network Solutions Before, now you will:

[Joe]

As of a little while ago (it is around 7:45 PM US Eastern on Mon 15 Sep 2003 as I write this), VeriSign added a wildcard A record to the .COM and .NET TLD DNS zones. The IP address returned is 64.94.110.11, which reverses to sitefinder.verisign.com. What that means in plain English is that most mis-typed domain names that would formerly have resulted in a helpful error message now results in a VeriSign advertising opportunity.

This means unregistered domains go to sitefinder.verisign.com now.

Check it out:

www.jgklsfjgjlgs.com

[root@ensim1 root]# whois jgklsfjgjlgs.com
[whois.crsnic.net]

Whois Server Version 1.3

Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.

No match for "JGKLSFJGJLGS.COM".

>>> Last update of whois database: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 18:07:59 EDT <<<



This ISN'T good!

[tnas]

I think I understand the situation, but would registering with a different registrar make any difference? It seems these are "unregistered" names that get to their site.

How did they "pull this over" all the other registrars?
Godaddy, stargate, register.com, along with 50+ others in the US.

I wouldn't think they would be very happy about this.

Would a response to internic do anything?

[Joe]

I can't figure out how they can legally do it... thats like taking possession by default . The big guys gotta be hot as *ell. I would be!

[tnas]

You got it! Check out the following story.... The fight over the marbles is just starting!

http://www.betanews.com/article.php3?sid=1063691303

[tnas]

They must have a BIG pipe handling email returns. After checking several forums on the hot new topic, I send an email as suggested, to a bogus server. Sure enough, the return message had thier IP address on it....

<8f9y7ymm@2h4bh.com>:
64.94.110.11 does not like recipient.
Remote host said: 550 User domain does not exist.
Giving up on 64.94.110.11.

That's going to be alot of junk mail they return!

[Joe]

Oh I'd love to have a spamtrap setup to spamcop/spews their IP's

:twisted:

[bluesguy]

I just got rid of the last registration I had with them.. they just couldn't understand why anybody didn't want to pay 4 times as much to register a domain with such dishonest and inept people as those who populate verislime. :!:

[Jeff]

Mistype responses are unbelievably slow now! If this keeps up, I half expect the Feds to get involved, either through legislation or lawsuit.

What Verisign did is not unprecedented, though. Try typing a nonsense URL in the .cc or .ws TLDs to see some other approaches.

[Joe]

http://www.petitiononline.com/icanndns/

I signed up ...

[Ben]

Signed... Damn verisign... they suck.

[bluesguy]

yep.. I signed up 8)

[tnas]

I sent a simple message (at bottom) to Verisign (multiple addresses), and they responded with many autoresponders, but I did get a message from service. I then replied (to all the same addresses). I'm sure they are getting "a few" of these. :shock:


Reply:

That's the point! It returned an ERROR MESSAGE, because an ERROR occurred. The ERROR message was the useful information.

Going to your site does not provide USEFUL information.

----- Original Message -----
From: Support
To: (my email here)
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 4:00 PM
Subject: Re : Stop the Wildcards (#5947-000276-65892766589)




(#5947-000276-65892766589)
Dear VeriSIgn Customer,


VeriSign's Site Finder service improves the web browsing experience
when the user has submitted a query for a nonexistent second-level domain
name in the .com and .net top-level domains. Before this service was
implemented, when a user entered a URL containing a nonexistent (e.g.,
unregistered) domain name ending in .com or .net, their web browser
returned an error message that contained no useful information. With
the introduction of Site Finder, users now receive a helpful web page
offering links to possible intended destinations, related categories,
and the ability to conduct additional searches immediately.

For more information, please email: sitefinder@verisign-grs.com


Thank you,

Jennifer

VeriSign Customer Support

If you would like to check the status of your Digital Certificate order
please go to https://www.verisign.com/status/

Please try out the new VeriSign Knowledge Base, the next
generation of on-line customer support: http://kb.verisign.com

************************************************** **************************
*
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
-----------------
From: (my email here)
Posted At: 08:07:19.783 09/17/2003
Posted To: authenticode-support@verisign.com; clientpki@verisign.com; consultingsolutions@verisign.com;
dbms-support@verisign.com; dnssales@verisign.com;
enterprise-pkisupport@verisign.com; enterprise-sslsupport@verisign.com;
info@verisign-grs.com; internetsales@verisign.com; IR@verisign.com;
jobs@verisign.com; mss@verisign.com; objectsigning-support@verisign.com;
paymentsales@verisign.com; practices@verisign.com;
premiersupport@networksolutions.com; press@verisign.com;
privacy@networksolutions.com; renewal@verisign.com; support@verisign.com;
verisales@verisign.com; vps-support@verisign.com; vts-csrgroup@verisign.com;
vts-mktginfo@verisign.com; webhelp@verisign.com; websitesales@verisign.com;
websitesupport@verisign.com; billing@verisign.com;
Subject: Stop the Wildcards

Stop the wildcards.

[flyer]

I read that Verisign is already being sued over this, I think by Godaddy.

[ReverendTed]

Blue's News posted a link to a CNN article claiming VeriSign ceased operation of the wildcard redirector under pressure from ICANN.
However, it may be a DNS propogation issue of some sort, but I'm still getting SiteFinder when I mistype a URL.

CNN Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/10/0...reut/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/10/03/verisign.icann.reut/index.html)

[bluesguy]

http://verislime.com/
yields a "Cannot Find Server" on Internet Explorer...

verislime.com gets me an MSN search page.....

a search on "verislime" finds this:

http://sethf.com/infothought/blog/archives/000420.html
and
http://www.mindjack.com/feature/spin.html

among others at
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=Veris...ime&FORM=DNSERR (http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=Verislime&FORM=DNSERR)

Another company to beware of is http://droa.com. Domain Registry of America
They send out fake bills to the company addresses on domains.
One of my clients got sucked in.. for 2 years ($40). They are a registrar, but they have mighty shady ways of doing business.

[chlucy]

bluesguy - that Domain Registry of America is truly the bottom-dwelling scum suckers. I got a phone call at my home number from them and I gave her an earful and hung up. 30 seconds later she calls back and leaves a long-winded message on the machine (I didn't pick up thanks to caller id). Oh the nerve!

(at least I think it was DRoA who called...)

[bluesguy]

You're absolutely right about DROA.. upon transfer to them they change the contact info to their company and put a Registrar Lock on the domain so it can't be transferred.. they email a password to the domain owner later.

There was an outfit called "Domain Support Group" that was calling and asking about domain info, fax numbers, etc... they almost had me fooled, but then I looked them up on Google and found out they were hijackers, trying to sell .US and other domain names for hundreds of dollars...let the buyer beware.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-...n+Support+Group (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Domain+Support+Group)

Their website also has a page they use to steal information about your domain:

http://www.domainsupportgroup.net/inquiry.htm

[Anonymous]

This CNET News article (http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5086101.html) reports that ICANN is making Versign pull the plug on their redirect service. Hopefully, it'll be permanently pulled![/url]

[tnas]

As of Monday morning 6-Oct I too am back to a DNS lookup error. Not going to sitefinder anymore. I guess if I was nice, I could remove the URL block that I have on my companies firewall now... :)

[Jeff]

Verisign has a free t-shirt offer here: http://www.verisign.com/dm/freeguide/103/ Choose Access Code 5747. :D

[bluesguy]

hehehe :twisted:

[tnas]

hehehe :twisted:
Me too!