[kictanet] internet governance, domaining, domain disputes, DNS security and more internet related news

Sat Aug 9 12:27:14 EAT 2008

**********************
GOVERNANCE
**********************
1. Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning
the EU Global Online Freedom Act
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM: More and more authoritarian states as Belarus,
Burma, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran,
North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
and Vietnam censor the internet by blocking websites and filtering
search results and intimidate internet users through 'cyber police'
and obliged registration. As this constitutes a clear violation of
human rights under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, EU action needs to be undertaken, especially since European
companies are cooperating with authoritarian governments to restrict
the access of citizens to the provision of Internet and information
society services.
http://www.julesmaaten.eu/_uploads/EU%20GOFA.htm

2. Major U.S. Internet companies agree on a code of conduct for
operating in repressive countries
It's been a journey longer than the meandering, months-long trip the
Olympic torch is taking to Friday's opening ceremonies in Beijing. But
Google, Yahoo and Microsoft said today that they were close to
finishing a voluntary code of conduct for doing business in China and
other countries that censor the Internet -- a project they started in
January 2007.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/08/major-internet.html

3. Internet firms agree to 'code of conduct' in China
Just days before the Olympic torch will reach Beijing, Internet
leaders Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft say they are close to an
agreement on a code of conduct for doing business in China and other
countries that censor the Internet.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10007122-38.html

4. Internet Companies Agree On China Code Of Conduct
U.S. technology giants Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo, in talks with
other Internet companies and human-rights groups, have reached an
agreement on a voluntary code of conduct for activities in China and
other restrictive countries, the Wall Street Journal reported on
Tuesday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKBNG13395520080805
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-34833420080805
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/policy/showArticle.jhtm?articleID=209903195

5. Vint Cerf calls for Internet speed limits
Internet papa Vint Cerf said broadband speed limits rather than
broadband data caps would be more useful in managing congested
networks.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10007079-93.html

6. Cerf totes consumer SLAs
Father of the internet and Google's chief internet evangelist, Vint
Cerf has waded into the debate about how broadband carriers should
manage network congestion, suggesting, in effect, data rate service
level agreements (SLAs) for consumers.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2223299/cerf-totes-consumer-slas

7. Cerf's call for simple pricing: Net Neutrality all over again
Vint Cerf, one of the co-inventors of the underlying technology that
makes the Web work, now Google's Internet evangelist, has issued a
call for throughput-based pricing by ISPs. This in response to the
Comcast ruling by the FCC, which fined the cable carrier for capping
bandwidth used by customers if they exceed what the company considers
reasonable use—Comcast has called their approach, which can cap the
number of bits a user sends per month "consumption-based pricing."
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ratcliffe/?p=358

8. Questioning the Coming US Internet Clog
One of the nation's top authorities on global Internet traffic growth
says his latest data show no reason to fear network capacity
shortages, as traffic growth may even be slightly decelerating.
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/110/31939

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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9. .ORG & NCUC Joint Letter to ICANN on Internationalized Domain Names by PIR
Recently we teamed up with the Non-Commercial Users Constituency
(NCUC) to express our concern to ICANN that the rights and needs of
end-users are taken into account in the discussion of
Internationalized Domain Names (IDN).
http://www.circleid.com/posts/88710_org_ncuc_internationalized_domain_names/

10. Can ICANN Manage the DNS Root Zone by Itself? "No!" Says US
Department of Commerce
In a recent letter, the US Department of Commerce NTIA strongly denied
being engaged in discussions about a "root zone transition" from
VeriSign to ICANN. The community, ICANN President Strategic Committee
(PSC), and perhaps ICANN and IANA staff are suddenly informed that no
transition of root zone management is going to occur.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/88712_icann_manage_dns_root_zone/

11. ICANN to raise awareness of domain name system vulnerability [sub req'd]
http://telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=225475

**********************
 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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12. Grant boost for .cym domain bid
A £20,000 grant to secure a "dot cym" internet address for Wales is to
be given by the assembly government. Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn
Jones said the money was to support the DotCYM campaign for a Welsh
version of the .com or co.uk endings.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7543956.stm

13. Bid for .cym for Welsh websites
WELSH companies should have the right to use .cym as well as .com on
their websites, Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said yesterday.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/07/bid-for-cym-for-welsh-websites-91466-21480320/

14. More options for Welsh identity on the net
The campaign to allow Welsh companies to use the .cym suffix in their
web addresses is almost as old as the internet itself, so it's
pleasing to see this decent idea finally take its first steps off the
drawing board.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/07/more-options-for-welsh-identity-on-the-net-91466-21479926/

15. Assembly cash for dotCYM campaign
DEPUTY First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones will today announce Assembly
Government funding to campaign for "full internet status for Wales".
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2008/08/06/assembly-cash-for-dotcym-campaign-55578-21473223/

16. Wales applying for its own domain name
The Welsh deputy first minister is backing a campaign for a Welsh
internet domain name.
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=6704

17. DotCym campaign wins £20k grant
Wales The Welsh Assembly is to donate £20,000 to support the campaign
to secure the "dot cym" internet address for Wales.
http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/news.php?id=265029

18. N.Korea Likely to Provide Internet Service from 2009
It seems likely that North Korea will finally join the worldwide web
and provide Internet service from next year. Kim Sang-myung, the chief
of the North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, a group of former North
Korean professionals, at a symposium in the National Assembly on
Wednesday said, "According to the Internet Access Roadmap it launched
in 2002, North Korea will begin providing Internet service for special
agencies and authorized individuals as early as next year." ... It has
also recently finished necessary consultations with ICANN for the
Internet service in North Korea. In this situation, North Korea can
begin providing Internet service any time provided equipment for
server and Internet-based relay systems is supplied, Kim said.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808070011.html

19. 100,000 .me Domain Names Now Registered
The .ME Registry announced today it has registered more than 100,000
domain names. This milestone comes a little more than two weeks after
opening for live, real-time registrations by the general public and
less than four months after opening its doors.
http://www.nic.me/index.php?page=12&news=94

20. .ME Domain Crosses 100,000 Milestone
New personalized domain .ME is the hot new destination for Web
addresses. The milestone comes a little more than two weeks after
opening for live, real-time registrations by the general public and
less than four months after opening its doors.
http://www.webhostdir.com/news/showNews.aspx?ID=27076

**********************
 - DNS SECURITY
**********************
21. Net address bug worse than feared
A recently found flaw in the internet's addressing system is worse
than first feared, says the man who found it. Dan Kaminsky made his
comments when speaking publicly for the first time about his discovery
at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7546557.stm

22. Kaminsky: Many ways to attack with DNS [IDG]
There were 6 a.m. calls from Finnish certificate authorities and also
some pretty harsh words from his peers in the security community, even
an accidentally leaked Black Hat presentation, but after managing the
response to one of the most highly publicized Internet flaws in recent
memory, Dan Kaminsky said Wednesday that he'd do it all over again.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/08/06/Kaminsky_Many_ways_to_attack_with_DNS_1.html
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/080608-kaminsky-many-ways-to-attack.html
http://www.itworld.com/networking/54104/kaminsky-many-ways-attack-dns

23. Kaminsky: DNS Vulnerability Will Affect Email, Internal Systems, Too
After almost a month of holding back, security researcher Dan Kaminsky
took off the gloves and delivered the full impact of his newly
discovered Domain Name Server vulnerability to an audience of more
than 2,000 security experts here.
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=161009

24. Kaminsky reveals 'many ways' to attack with DNS [IDG]
Dan Kaminsky has revealed more details about the DNS flaw, and has
said that he would do it all over again, despite receiving some harsh
words from his peers in the security community.
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?NewsID=102315

25. Dan Kaminsky Reveals DNS Flaw At Black Hat
At the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, attendees
occupied every available seat and most of the floor space to hear
security researcher Dan Kaminsky finally explain the Domain Name
System (DNS) vulnerability that has been the talk of the Internet
security community since early July.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209903948

26. IOActive's Kaminsky Warns: DNS Danger Still Exists
IOActive's Dan Kaminsky discovered a DNS vulnerability in July, and
the attack code was released weeks later. At his Black Hat speech,
Kaminsky warned that patching the DNS vulnerability is urgent. Though
Kaminsky said 85 percent of Fortune 500 firms have patched their
networks to fix the DNS vulnerability, too many users are still
unprotected.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Kaminsky--DNS-Danger-Still-Exists/story.xhtml?story_id=013000G4YOWK
http://www.cio-today.com/news/Kaminsky--DNS-Danger-Still-Exists/story.xhtml?story_id=0130015Q09QS
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Kaminsky--DNS-Danger-Still-Exists/story.xhtml?story_id=013000G4YOWK

27. Kaminsky Details DNS Flaw at Black Hat Talk
Roughly 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies have patched their
networks to fix a security flaw that lets cyber criminals redirect
visitors to counterfeit or malicious Web sites, but Internet users
still remain at grave risk due to the large number of infrastructure
providers that have not yet addressed the issue, a prominent security
researcher warned today.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/08/kaminsky_details_dns_flaw_at_b.html

28. Email gets hit by major web security flaw [AP]
A newly discovered flaw in the internet's core infrastructure not only
permits hackers to force people to visit websites they didn't want to,
it also allows them to intercept email messages, the researcher who
discovered the bug said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=55&objectid=10525801
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/08/06/internet.security.ap/
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2008-08-07-internet-flaw-email_N.htm

29. Giant cyberspace security hole getting fixed, slowly [AP]
A giant vulnerability in the internet's design is allowing criminals
to silently redirect traffic to websites under their control. The
problem is being fixed, but its extent remains unknown and many people
are still at risk.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501832&objectid=10525623
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/06/1217702102160.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/08/06/1217702102160.html

30. Kaminsky reveals details and extent of DNS flaw
Security researcher Dan Kaminsky has given details of a fundamental
flaw in the Domain Name System, and the extent of the vulnerability.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39458177,00.htm
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10009827-83.html

31. Day 30: Kaminsky DNS Bug Disclosure
In a highly anticipated presentation, Internet security researcher Dan
Kaminsky today gave details of the much talked about Domain Name
System (DNS) vulnerability issue which has been intensely covered
since it was publicly announced a month ago on Jul 8th.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/88670_kaminsky_dns_bug_disclosure/

32. Kaminsky (finally) reveals gaping hole in internet
Black Hat After a four-week orgy of speculation, recrimination and
warnings, Dan Kaminsky's domain-name system vulnerability has finally
gone public. And boy, are we glad the net's overlords paid attention.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/06/kaminsky_black_hat/

33. Beijing Braces for Olympic Cyber-War - Can the world's most
futuristic data center protect the Olympics' storage?
With the world's eyes firmly focused on Beijing, officials and IT
staff are bracing themselves for a flood of cyber-attacks when the
Olympic Games begin later this week.
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=160642

34. Giant online security hole getting fixed, slowly [AP]
A giant vulnerability in the Internet's design is allowing criminals
to silently redirect traffic to Web sites under their control. The
problem is being fixed, but its extent remains unknown and many people
are still at risk.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080502656.html

35. Russian Gang Hijacking PCs in Vast Scheme
A criminal gang is using software tools normally reserved for computer
network administrators to infect thousands of PCs in corporate and
government networks with programs that steal passwords and other
information, a security researcher has found.
http://nytimes.com/2008/08/06/technology/06hack.html

36. DHS: Networking security worth the money [IDG]
When it comes to investing in computer security, the U.S. federal
government could get a good return on investment by shoring up its
networking protocols, according to the man who's been hired to
coordinate computer security between federal agencies.
http://www.itworld.com/security/54122/dhs-networking-security-worth-money
http://www.pcworld.com/article/149554/2008/08/.html

37. New US cyber defense coordinator hints at plans [AP]
One of the United States' biggest challenges in securing government
computers from foreign attacks isn't necessarily technical. The
country first needs to figure out how much those networks are worth
and how much the U.S. should spend on protecting them, the new
Homeland Security official in charge of that effort said Thursday.
http://news.smh.com.au/technology/new-us-cyber-defense-coordinator-hints-at-plans-20080808-3rvl.html
http://news.theage.com.au/technology/new-us-cyber-defense-coordinator-hints-at-plans-20080808-3rvl.html

**********************
 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
**********************
38. Retailers Beware – Recent Losses In Domain Name Decisions [reg req'd]
Retailers and brands in the retail sector have recently been hit with
a string of losses under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution
Procedure ("UDRP"), which was designed to offer brand owners a quick
and relatively inexpensive way of resolving domain name disputes.
http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=64400

39. us: State Fund Insurance Nailed for Reverse Domain Name Hijacking
State Fund Mutual Insurance, a company providing workers' compensation
insurance in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota, has been found
guilty of reverse domain name hijacking in its attempt to snag
SFM.com.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/07/state-fund-insurance-nailed-for-reverse-domain-name-hijacking/

40. us: SureWest critic will change Web site's address
The Sacramento computer programmer and SureWest Communications
shareholder who started a Web site critical of the Roseville company's
move to drop its quarterly dividend plans to change the domain
address.
http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/1140527.html

**********************
 - IPv4/IPv6
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41. DISA certifies Red Hat OS for IPv6
The Defense Information Systems Agency has certified the Red Hat
Enterprise Linux (RHEL) operating system as being ready for swapping
Internet Protocol version 6 packets with other Defense Department
servers, Red Hat announced this week.
http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/46832-1.html

**********************
 - MISCELLANEOUS
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42. New publication on Domain Name Law
A new international Handbook on Domain Name Law has been published.
The "Handbuch des Domainrechts" is an updated German version of the
international Handbook "Domain Name Law and Practice"which was
published by Oxford University Press in 2005. It was edited and
written by leading experts in the fields of domain name dispute
resolution and trade mark law from around the world.
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/new-publication-on-domain-name-law.html

43. VeriSign shares fall after 2nd-quarter report [AP]
VeriSign Inc.'s shares fell Thursday after the Internet infrastructure
company reported a wider second-quarter loss as it absorbed the costs
of a major reorganization.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/08/07/ap5301246.html

44. VeriSign Reports Second Quarter 2008 Results [news release]
VeriSign, Inc. ... reported financial results for the second quarter
ended June 30, 2008. VeriSign reported revenue of $303 million for the
second quarter of 2008. On a GAAP basis, VeriSign reported a net loss
of $68 million and a net loss per share of $0.35. These GAAP results
reflect a $92 million non-cash impairment charge on certain long-lived
assets and assets held for sale. Also recorded were restructuring
charges of $98 million in continuing and discontinued operations. ...
VeriSign Naming Services ended the quarter with approximately 87.3
million active domain names in the adjusted zone for .com and .net,
representing a 3% increase over Q1 2008 and 20% increase year over
year. In June, VeriSign announced additional infrastructure
deployments in Europe with new sites in France and Belgium to fortify
its Internet infrastructure as part of Project Titan.
http://www.verisign.com/static/043991.pdf

45. VeriSign's Losses Widen
VeriSign reported higher losses in the second quarter in part because
of restructuring-related charges. The company posted net loss of $68
million, or 35 cents a share, that included a $92 million non-cash
impairment charge and restructuring charges of $98 million. That
compares with a net loss of $4.7 million, or 2 cents a share the year
before.
http://www.thestreet.com/s/verisigns-losses-widen/newsanalysis/technology-update/10432210.html

46. VeriSign reports $68 million loss [Bloomberg]
VeriSign, the biggest operator of computers that direct Internet
traffic, reported a $68 million loss and projected sales that missed
some estimates as growth in the number of Web sites slowed.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_10124679

47. VeriSign Reports 2Q Losses
VeriSign has reported a net loss of $68 million or $0.35 per share for
the second quarter, despite ending the quarter with approximately 87.3
million active domain names, a 3 percent increase over Q1 and a 20
percent increase year over year.
http://www.thewhir.com/marketwatch/080708_VeriSign_Reports_2Q_Losses.cfm

48. Register.com Gives Out Free Domain Names
Register.com is giving away domain names , 1 per company. There
appears to be no-strings-attached to the promotion. This isn't an
affiliate link either . . . probably should be eh ?  Click here to get
a free domain name.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/registrars/registercom-gives-out-free-domain-names/1913

49. Registries Must Lobby GoDaddy for Success - GoDaddy 's power in
domain registration cannot be ignored.
Here's a tip to any registries for new domains coming online in the
next couple years: before you create your marketing strategy and
invest in infrastructure, go cozy up with your new pal Bob Parsons at
GoDaddy.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/05/registries-must-lobby-godaddy-for-success/

50. The Dutch Cable SIP Exchange Project, XConnect Global Networks and
Nokia Siemens Networks Successfully Test Intelligent Network (C7) and
ENUM Integration in Cable Telephony Peering Project [news release]
The Dutch Cable SIP Exchange project (SIPX), an initiative of the
Dutch cable industry, successfully tested interoperability between its
peering system, which is provided by XConnect Global Networks, Ltd.,
and the Nokia Siemens Networks hiQ VoIP platform used in many of its
participant networks.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2008/08/06/3587978.htm

**********************
 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
**********************
51. Google offers deeper look into searches
Google is giving everyone a chance to peek deeper into its database of
search requests and discover the things that preoccupy individuals
and, in aggregate, entire cities, regions or nations, at any one time.
http://iht.com/articles/2008/08/06/business/adco.php

52. New Google tool aims to provide more insight into online searches
Google Inc. yesterday rolled out a new tool that it said can help
marketing and advertising users better analyze Internet search
patterns, while also adding new tools such as a "heat map" for
graphically displaying search volumes and other data.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9111841

53. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under to Donate Profits to ICA; Discount Pass
Expires Soon
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under is happening on the Gold Coast, Australia,
with Fabulous.com (Dark Blue Sea Ltd) and T.R.A.F.F.I.C. partnering to
host the premiere event being held from November 18 to 20, to be held
at the Sheraton Mirage Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5584
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/08/05/traffic-down-under-to-donate-profits-to-ica/

54. Domain Roundtable Goes to Washington
Next conference will be held in Washington D.C. June 2009.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/05/domain-roundtable-goes-to-washington/

55. au: Domain name sales dip no surprise
The number of internet domain names being bought and sold has dropped
off in just the second month since a rule change that allowed them to
be openly trading was introduced.
http://smartcompany.com.au/Free-Articles/The-Briefing/20080805-Domain-name-sales-dip-no-surprise.html

56. Domain Trading Post takes over as Australia's largest .au aftermarket
Australia's newest domain name aftermarket trading website, Domain
Trading Post has quickly taken over as the premier marketplace for
trading secondary .com.au domain names.
http://www.domaininformer.com/news/press/080804DomainTradingPost.html

57. OD.com Sells for $220,000
The domain name OD.com has sold for $220,000 at Sedo , according to
the "recent sales" section of the site.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/08/07/odcom-sells-for-220000/

58. New York TRAFFIC Auction - Open call for Domains
Aftermarket logoWe are pleased to announce the launch of the first
phase of Aftermarket.com. This first phase is a dual online & offline
auction system using the new platform of DomainTools created
specifically for the Aftermarket.com.
http://blog.domaintools.com/2008/08/new-york-traffic-auction-open-call-for-domains/