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Resolving Everything: VeriSign Adds Wildcards

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the gotcha dept.

DragonHawk writes "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. For example, if my domain name was 'somecompany.com,' and somebody typed 'soemcompany.com' by mistake, they would get VeriSign's advertising." Read on below for some more information.

"(VeriSign is a company which purchased Network Solutions, another company which was given the task by the US government of running the .COM and .NET top-level domains (TLDs). VeriSign has been exploiting the Internet's DNS infrastructure ever since.)

This will have the immediate effect of making network trouble-shooting much more difficult. Before, a mis-typed domain name in an email address, web browser, or other network configuration item would result in an obvious error message. You might not have known what to do about it, but at least you knew something was wrong. Now, though, you will have to guess. Every time.

Some have pointed out that this will make an important anti-spam check impossible. A common anti-spam measure is to check and make sure the domain name of the sender really exists. (While this is easy to force, every little bit helps.) Since all .COM and .NET domain names now exist, that anti-spam check is useless.

VeriSign has published white papers about their implementation and also made some recommendations."

9 of 1,291 comments (clear)

  1. Me first sue.. by Shivaji+Maharaj · · Score: -1, Troll

    Will this resolve to first post ?

    --
    We do not have a history of profitable operations. Our future SCOsource licensing revenue is uncertain.
  2. frsit psot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    frsit psot!

  3. first post? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    first post! troll! hot grits! natalie portman! bsd is dying! ms winbloze sux0rz!

    sorry, i couldn't resist that blank page

  4. Random Redirection Test URL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Here's an example of VeriSign's redirection of a random string of characters: sadfasdf.com

  5. In Soviet Russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Not found file is 404, not NOT found not domain not YOU!

  6. beyootiful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    hello

    Fan fucking tastic.

  7. actually the sitefinder page is kinda useful. by BenLutgens · · Score: 0, Troll

    It appears to point out some simple correction selections that are click-able, and doesn't contain any advertising.

    Whats the big deal? Its a damn sight better than a plain "Site Not Found so Fsck Off" page.

    --
    "If you love someone, set them free. If they come home, set them on fire." - George Carlin
  8. GOATSE IN PARENT by Vanieter · · Score: -1, Troll

    How this got modded 'funny' is beyond me.

  9. Who cares? Seriously. by Viol8 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Ok , so you type in a duff address and it routes you a default page. I mean whats the big deal? Who really gives a damn? This isn't meant to
    be a troll but I really don't understand what the fuss is about. Its not like they're taking control of your browser or downloading spyware
    onto your system. Its just a simple web page which for newbies might even be useful. Please people , get a grip , stop foaming at the mouth , this really isn't a big deal.