Internet Software Consortium to Cut Off Site VeriSign's Finder

[AplusWebMaster]

:o FYI...

Internet Software Consortium to Cut Off Site VeriSign's Finder
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,60473,00.html
Sep. 16, 2003
"VeriSign's controversial "typo-squatting" Site Finder service is about to be bypassed by an emergency software patch to many of the Internet's backbone computers.
- The Internet Software Consortium, a nonprofit that publishes BIND, the software that runs many of the Net's domain name servers, is about to release an emergency patch to block VeriSign's new Site Finder service.
- VeriSign's Site Finder, launched on Monday, has drawn heated criticism for hijacking mistyped Web addresses. Instead of getting an error message, Web surfers who mistype ".com" and ".net" Web addresses are redirected to the Site Finder service, which then offers a list of likely alternatives, some of which are paid-placement links. Critics complain the new service gives VeriSign too much control over online traffic and allows it to profit from an essential monopoly over ".com" and ".net" names. VeriSign is charged by the U.S. government with running the ".com" and ".net" domains, and directs much of the traffic on the Internet..."

[Detox]

Wow.. I never thought of it but they're not kidding... After reading this I hit www.google.com but used one different letter in "google" which is nevt to the correct one on thekeyboard... redirect to some search thing and a little warning window saying some virus is detected and hit "ok" to scan.. Obviously it was a crap java window and not from my AV... Real cute >:(

Hope they run over these guys quick.

[LowWaterMark]

Detox,

Just to be sure that you actually hit the Verisign site and not some site that actually registered a name close to Google's just so they could get the spelling error traffic... Can you confirm that this is the page you ended up at?

http://sitefinder.verisign.com/

[Detox]

Nope not that one but it WAS a redirect... to here

hxxp://www.ownbox.com/treasure/search.html

complete with "Virus found" msg

[Mr.Blaze]

>:(i think i been victime of that when i look for specific adult links i get the total oppisite one that pops up on any description you type.

for example i mistype stuff all the time cause my bad spelling and get fake redirects to nothing but pure crap


makes me so mad i have to use this smiley >:(

[LowWaterMark]

-{ Quote: " quoting: Detox link=board=27;threadid=13926;start=0#msg88440 date=1063851296]Nope not that one but it WAS a redirect... to here

hxxp://www.ownbox.com/treasure/search.html

complete with "Virus found" msg" }-

Ah, then chances are that you hit upon a company who actually registered a name similar to Google for just the purpose of getting clicks from people who spelled the site name wrong.

So far, no one I know of has actually said the Verisign site has virus warnings or anything similar. If you remember the actual name you used then we can check it out.

[LowWaterMark]

Until the powers that be do whatever they are going to do to defeat this change by Verisign, you can get your browser nearly back to normal functionality if you add these two lines to your Hosts file:

127.0.0.1 sitefinder.verisign.com # Block Verisign SiteFinder
127.0.0.1 sitefinder-idn.verisign.com # Block Verisign SiteFinder

[Detox]

the URL i posted is the site I was redirected to - the url I put in that redirected me there was "googlw"

[LowWaterMark]

Yes, as I thought. That's a real registered domain name: googlw.com

Domain Name: GOOGLW.COM
Registrar: ENOM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.enom.com
Referral URL: http://www.enom.com
Name Server: PENDULUM.MAXIM.NET
Name Server: NS.NNW.NET
Status: REGISTRAR-LOCK
Updated Date: 11-apr-2003
Creation Date: 08-may-2001
Expiration Date: 08-may-2004
.
.
.
<<snipped contact info, etc.>>

[Detox]

still pretty cheap ffs >:(

[Detox]

oh, did you check out that "virus" warning? I was really wondering what it tries to do if someone hit "OK"

[AplusWebMaster]

:o FYI...

VeriSign Sued Over Site Finder
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,112557,00.asp
September 19, 2003
"An Internet search company has sued VeriSign over a widely-criticized service that sends Web users to a VeriSign search page after entering a non-existent Web address.
- Popular Enterprises of Orlando, operator of the Netster.com search site, is seeking an injunction barring VeriSign from running the Site Finder as well as damages of up to $100 million, it said in a statement Thursday.
- VeriSign controls the main database of .com and .net domain names. On Monday the Mountain View, California, company added a "wild card" to the databases, sending Web users who enter a non-existent .com or .net address to Site Finder, a new VeriSign search service...
- Popular Enterprises accuses VeriSign of antitrust violations, unfair competition, and violations of the Unfair Trade Practices Act, according to the statement. The suit was filed Thursday in U.S District Court for the Middle District of Florida...
- VeriSign's Site Finder has drawn a storm of criticism and caused some antispam filters to malfunction. Uproar among network administrators prompted the Internet Software Consortium to update its popular BIND DNS software so Site Finder can be blocked.
- Popular Enterprises expects to serve VeriSign with the suit on Friday, Hill said.
- VeriSign said it could not comment on the suit because it has not yet received it. However, spokesperson Brian O'Shaughnessy did say that although VeriSign has no intention of pulling the Site Finder service, the company is actively engaging with the industry to listen to what the issues and concerns are and improve the service."

[AplusWebMaster]

:o FYI...

ICANN asks VeriSign to pull redirect service
http://news.com.com/2102-1024_3-5079768.html?tag=ni_print
September 21, 2003
"The agency that oversees Internet domain names has asked VeriSign to voluntarily suspend a new service that redirects Web surfers to VeriSign's site when they try to reach unassigned Web addresses.
- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on Friday posted a notice on its Web site with its response to the so-called wildcard service, which launched Sept. 15. The wildcard service sends people to a VeriSign page with search results, including links to paid advertisements. Until now, Web surfers would have gotten an error message...
- ICANN said it is investigating complaints about the wildcard service and asked VeriSign to pull it, pending further study.
- On Saturday, the Internet Architecture Board also weighed in on the controversy with an analysis of domain name system (DNS) wildcards. The group recommended that 'DNS wildcards should not be used in a zone unless the zone operator has a clear understanding of the risks, and that they should not be used without the informed consent of those entities which have been delegated below the zone'...
- VeriSign is not alone in seeking to replace standard Web navigation error messages. Microsoft offers an optional setting for its Internet Explorer browser that redirects people to custom pages when they call up unassigned domain names or missing Web pages."

[Pieter_Arntz]

Go Daddy Software joins the protesting crowd:

http://www.mikehealan.com/articles/releases/godaddy_verisign.php

[AplusWebMaster]

;) FYI...
VeriSign bows to ICANN, suspends Net Grab
10/03/2003
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/33211.html
"VeriSign has responded to a deadline from Internet quango ICANN and today suspended its SiteFinder service. SiteFinder redirected DNS wildcards, such as misspelled URLs, to Verisign's own website, a practice which breaches time-honored Internet behavior. The move broke many spam filters and in its brief life - it was launched on September 15 - had generated three lawsuits. Verisign was able to do this because it has a monopoly on the .com and .net domains, one granted to it by ICANN. ICANN said Verisign was in breach of this contract..."