ICANN Creates Loophole for Domain Name Theft
By Laura DL Bracken
On November 12, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), based in Marina del Rey, Calif.,
announced that its inter-registrar domain transfer policy has gone into effect. This is both good news and bad news.
This latest policy is intended to simplify the domain name transfer process, protect against unauthorized transfers, and standardize authorization by the domain name registrant prior to the initiation of any transfer. However, this change toward simplicity also provides the opportunity for domain names to be taken from an owner without prior approval.
The domain name system (DNS) helps users find their way around the Internet. Every computer connected to the Internet is assigned a unique number known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address. The IP address is a rather complicated string of numbers.
IP addresses consist of four numbers separated by periods and look something like 216.229.182.49. Because numbers may be tedious to deal with, an IP address may also be assigned a "domain name" (such as www.spokesmanreview.com), which is easier to remember.
Translating the name back into the IP address is known as "resolving the domain name." The goal of the DNS, then, is for any Internet user located anywhere in the world to reach a specific website by entering its domain name.
Anyone anywhere can own a domain name. And, with approximately 36,191,278 registered domain names, just about anyone does.
Now, ICANN, the non-profit corporation that oversees Internet technical matters, has made it easier for all domain name owners to move their domain to the registrar that offers the best services and price without having to "double-confirm" the transfer process.
ICANN originally announced the policy change in July, but it just recently went into effect. (The full version of the Policy on Transfer of Registrations between Registrars may be found at http://www.icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm.)
Policy elements include:
As an added bonus, this newly implemented policy is expected to increase competition in the generic top-level domain name market and could drive costs down by as much as 80 percent.
Still, domain name owners should be aware that their domain names could be transferred within five calendar days if the Registrar of Record fails to respond, resulting in a default "approval" of the transfer.
This becomes a concern for many domain name holders whose domain names are not registrar-locked or who haven't kept their registrant information current. Since domain name records reflect the information that was entered at the time of purchase, many DNS records have invalid email addresses, incorrect mailing addresses, long-forgotten user names and the like.
Currently, most requests for domain name transfer are usually sent via email to the registrant. So, if the registrant's email of record is a non-working email address, the registrant cannot decline the transfer of its domain name, thus allowing the transfer to occur without the owner ever being aware it happened.
Before this new policy went into affect, a registrant's domain name would be relatively safe. A transfer simply could not happen without a registrant's explicit approval. This new policy requires that the current registrant explicitly decline the request. If the current registrant fails to decline the transfer, the transfer will go through.
So beware. If you own a domain name, be sure all of the registrant information is up to date. And, if you were not planning on transferring your domain name to another registrar, be sure you formally "decline" the transfer.
Laura D.L. Bracken is the owner of Design Spike, Inc., a web design and development company.
This latest policy is intended to simplify the domain name transfer process, protect against unauthorized transfers, and standardize authorization by the domain name registrant prior to the initiation of any transfer. However, this change toward simplicity also provides the opportunity for domain names to be taken from an owner without prior approval.
The domain name system (DNS) helps users find their way around the Internet. Every computer connected to the Internet is assigned a unique number known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address. The IP address is a rather complicated string of numbers.
IP addresses consist of four numbers separated by periods and look something like 216.229.182.49. Because numbers may be tedious to deal with, an IP address may also be assigned a "domain name" (such as www.spokesmanreview.com), which is easier to remember.
Translating the name back into the IP address is known as "resolving the domain name." The goal of the DNS, then, is for any Internet user located anywhere in the world to reach a specific website by entering its domain name.
Anyone anywhere can own a domain name. And, with approximately 36,191,278 registered domain names, just about anyone does.
Now, ICANN, the non-profit corporation that oversees Internet technical matters, has made it easier for all domain name owners to move their domain to the registrar that offers the best services and price without having to "double-confirm" the transfer process.
ICANN originally announced the policy change in July, but it just recently went into effect. (The full version of the Policy on Transfer of Registrations between Registrars may be found at http://www.icann.org/transfers/policy-12jul04.htm.)
Policy elements include:
- Requiring registrars to verify the identity of the registrant or administrative contact requesting the transfer by one of a number of approved methods to deter fraud.
- Preserving the ability of registrants to "lock" their domains so they may not be transferred from the registrar, but requiring registrars to provide a readily accessible way for registrants to have their current registrar remove this lock at their request.
- Providing a robust dispute resolution process for resolving disputes between registrars, including registries implementing a "transfer undo" functionality to provide for efficiently reversing any transfer initiated in violation of the policy.
As an added bonus, this newly implemented policy is expected to increase competition in the generic top-level domain name market and could drive costs down by as much as 80 percent.
Still, domain name owners should be aware that their domain names could be transferred within five calendar days if the Registrar of Record fails to respond, resulting in a default "approval" of the transfer.
This becomes a concern for many domain name holders whose domain names are not registrar-locked or who haven't kept their registrant information current. Since domain name records reflect the information that was entered at the time of purchase, many DNS records have invalid email addresses, incorrect mailing addresses, long-forgotten user names and the like.
Currently, most requests for domain name transfer are usually sent via email to the registrant. So, if the registrant's email of record is a non-working email address, the registrant cannot decline the transfer of its domain name, thus allowing the transfer to occur without the owner ever being aware it happened.
Before this new policy went into affect, a registrant's domain name would be relatively safe. A transfer simply could not happen without a registrant's explicit approval. This new policy requires that the current registrant explicitly decline the request. If the current registrant fails to decline the transfer, the transfer will go through.
So beware. If you own a domain name, be sure all of the registrant information is up to date. And, if you were not planning on transferring your domain name to another registrar, be sure you formally "decline" the transfer.
Laura D.L. Bracken is the owner of Design Spike, Inc., a web design and development company.
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