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NSI Registers Every Domain Checked
An anonymous reader writes "In a developing story, registrar Network Solutions has been caught front-running domain names. Any domain names searched via NSI's whois are being immediately purchased by the registrar, thereby preventing a registrant from purchasing the domain at any other registrar. There are multiple reports of this practice over at DomainState.com." Update: 01/09 01:58 GMT by KD : shashib writes to let us know that NSI has issued a response to the accusations of front running.
...automate requests with a dictionary? Make them bankrupt themselves purchasing bogus domains?
There is a war going on for your mind.
Assuming this costs them money, I suggest everyone go there and start searching for completely random domains.
:-P
The naughtier the better. Flood them with searches for obscene/stupid domains and let them pick up the tab on it.
Cheers
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I'm working on a program to perform millions of random whois searches via NSI.
I spent a half an hour doing domain name searches after the last article on this, and all the ones available then are still available.
Mind you, the top level search wasn't available, but the lower tier ones that were available are still available.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
So, we can create a link that has a simple php script to have the user check a random domain through them. That way it isn't all coming from one IP Address...
One never knows when one might need a rotten tomato... - King's Quest IV: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
They control a big database and know when someone's about to buy something from one of their competitors, so they instantly buy it so the person has to buy it from them for any fee they want to charge. This is historically one of the most unethical companies around, I always assumed they did this, I'm just glad I got my domain ~10 years ago when it was actually possible.
rooooar
I'm sorry, but its simply time for free domain tasting to go. It costs something like $6 at the back end to register a domain for one year and its a hardship on no legitimate use if they have to pay another $6 to correct a typo.
Moderating "-1, Disagree" is simple censorship. Have the guts to post your opinion.
I could swear I saw something about this http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/28/1458247">somewhere before....
It wasn't in the firehose this morning, now where could I have seen it...
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
network-solutions-hates-non-whites.com
our-ceo-jacks-off-to-goatse.com
batman-touched-my-junk-liberally.com
If you haven't made a developer cry, you've wasted a day.
... but this is an outright scam. These guys are the moral equivalent of those gas station clerks who steal winning lottery tickets.
(It's never too late to join the Renaissance)
It wouldn't be that hard to write a script to start exhaustively checking domains.
a.com?
b.com?
c.com?
.....
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
The domain name registrars and the ssl certificate services are all run by crooks.
It is appalling that so much of our security infrastructure relies on this pack of thieves.
What should be we do to correct this problem?
Perhaps a consortium of the major Internet providers could start up a new DNS system.
I'm not talking about Comcast/verizon/aol, I'm talking about Level3, Cogent, Teleglobe etc..
thoughts?
Whether it's NSI or some other registrar doing it, this has been a known issue for a long time. The solution is not to use WHOIS. Instead follow DNS from the root and see if it goes anywhere. E.g.:
dig the-domain-you-want.com. +traceDon't worry, ICANN will fix everything and make it right!
I slay me.
we will end no whine before its time
I did whois on frammusjammer.com at NSI, then thirty seconds later tried to buy the domain at Godaddy. It was already taken. Checked whois at register.com and it shows NSI as the owner.
Just tried that search (my subject line) on the Network Solutions site and all domains for it were available, yet I searched using Easily.co.uk immediately after and f***younetworksolutions.com was registered by them immediately:
:-D
Record expires on 08-Jan-2009.
Record created on 08-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 14:38:53 EST.
Yup, I did that 4 mins ago.
I wonder how much it is costing them per domain
Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
What else is new in this world except that your privacy is screwed for greed and $$'s?
One has to develop a 6th or 7th sense in this post-1984 world.
Search for a domain and buy it right at the spot of search from the competitively priced registrar of your choice - one who has a live (US) customer rep on a phone line (this actually exists).
Your 6++th sense has to warn you right at the point of typing in a query on a ridiculously expensive registrar to NOT(!!) do this and find out why this bell rings.
Otherwise, you are peacemeat.
(No question that NS is to be avoided and what they are doing stinks - greedy bastards!)
Does this make them an abuser of monopoly (there's only one really used DNS)? Or perhaps fraudulent? Or do they violate privacy? Misappropriate implied-confidential information? Do the registrars form an illegal cartel via this behavior?
http://whois.domaintools.com/cube111.com
Whoever did it, I think it's crap that they scrape out or listen in on potential names.
I'm going to try some semimeaningful name searches on domaintools.com as an experiment.
Don't bother trying to get them to register NSISUCKS.COM. They already own it.
Strangely enough, it seems to redirect to their own home page. I guess they are okay with sucking.
I'll just respond in whole to the dozen or so posts above this one... don't bother writing automated requests to "bankrupt" NSI, as it doesn't cost them a cent to register a domain and then release it with in a few days. It's called domain tasting, which is also a problem with domain names that expire and are snatched up by creeps running scripts at the head end of one of the less scrupulous registrars.
IIRC, domain squatting is illegal. I think all that needs to be done, if NSI is indeed doing this, is to document it thoroughly and send a nice explanatory letter to the Attorney General.
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
pointlessuseoftechnology.com is still available despite several WHOIS lookups over the past couple of weeks.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
This likely doesn't cost NSI a dime. From wikipedia:
Domain tasting, is a practice of registrants using the five-day "grace period" at the beginning of a domain registration for ICANN-regulated generic top-level domains to test the marketability of a domain name. During this period, when a registration must be fully refunded by the domain registry, a cost-benefit analysis is conducted by the registrant on the viability of deriving income from advertisements being placed on the domain's web site.
I, for one, welcome the newest and soon-to-be-favorite domain on the tubes, http://bitchassmotherfucked.com/
I never understand why given that this is blatantly anti competitive, companies aren't immediately prosecuted under anti trust laws with their directors going to prison. And don't forget about some nasty fines and civil penalties. So if we find a college kid who copies a movie we prosecute the f*ck out of them and financially squeeze them until they are thoroughly screwed over. But if you are a big company and you screw over millions of people, you get off scot-free. Apart from the fact that the rule of law is a joke if the powerful are not investigated it would be better for the economy and everyone's standard of living if anti trust laws were enforced. How many extra thousands of dollars every year do we spend on things because they are more expensive than they would naturally be if companies were not violating anti trust laws.
unfortunately, the suggestions don't get registered when selected
.sig: No such file or directory
DNS names make up a dirty (funny?) business. It's time to change. Any ideas?
.fed.us. (to replace .gov) .mil.fed.us (to replace .mil) .com.us. (for generic name registrations, to replace .com) .aero, .biz, .info, .tel, and other new gTLDs. .org.us for U.S. 501(c)(3) orgs. .edu.us for accredited U.S. colleges. .com, .net, and .org .gov (all should have been moved to .fed.us. (or .[state postal abbr].us.) .mil (all should have been moved to .mil.fed.us (or .mil.[state postal abbr].us. for National Guard units) .aero, .biz, .info, .tel, and other uncommon gTLDs. .com, .net, and .org. At this point everything is on the new system.
Here's mine:
2010: Create a new "top" for the domain system: .
----: Create
----: Create
----: Create
2011: Stop new registrations in
----: Create
----: Create
2012: Stop new registrations in
2015: Delete old
----: Delete old
2016: Delete
2017: Delete
Whate influence would ICANN et al. have in this new system? Comments welcome.
Lets see whether they snap up "purplepickledpenguins.com" shortly :)
fucknetsolintheass.com is now registered to Network Solutions!
Oh, wait.
I'm not really a web designer, I just play one on the Internet.
What NSI is doing is a perfect scheme, as [iirc] you can 'return' a domain 30 (or is it 60?) days after registering without having to pay for it. This feature has been abused by shady companies for a while now.
lolnetworksolutions.com wow
Because ICANN is not real high on public accountability as opposed to corporate interests. my question is this: why should we should be surprised that ICANN doesn't stomp this out?
...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Here, use this:
http://support.suso.org/dns/saferdomainlookup.php
I wrote it a few months ago after these types of issues started coming up. I provide some transparency so that you can have confidence in trusting it. Of course, you can always use command line whois or DNS tools.
Other interesting information:
So if they're running a single name server then they aren't registering many domains.
They also seem to insta-park it, so it isn't even as if they just "register it to keep it safe for you". They do it so they can pimp their "domains from $20" pages.
I did a "whois netsolstolethisdomain.com" from the command line, the domain was available.
...it only took me less than 5 seconds to re-run that whois search.
I searched for it on the NetSol website then went back to the command line and re-ran the whois search.
By the time I re-ran the whois, it was already registered and locked.
So, to keep your domain from being "stolen" by NetSol, do you searches from the command line if you have access to do so.
...would probably help: http://www.poemsthatgo.com/gallery/winter2004/jabber/index.htm
When the "cybersquatting" laws and rules, etc... went into effect, everyone knew it was corporate protectionism bullshit and most individual people would be shafted, rather than protected from the practice. Now, this blatant, predatory behavior from a company that is allowed a trusted level of Internet access demands a response. Because that response will not come from an orderly, pre-defined process, or "representatives" at a corporate or governmental level, it will have to come from elsewhere.
Network Solutions should be removed from the Internet for the good of the Internet. By whatever means.
And yes, I've been burned by exactly this kind of asshat behavior, a year and a half ago, along with every time I see an already squatted-on domain. It's one thing when perpetrated by predatory people out there akin to spammers... It's quite another when an organization at this level violates the trust given it to act in the same way.
I'd seriously like to know what technical, etc... means exist to completely remove their influence from the Internet. Maybe this will be the straw that results in people adopting alternative DNS, etc... I'd love to see a thread develop with a functional response.
..that I tested this out using the domain name 'networksolutionsjustlostacustomer.com', which is still up for grabs.. but only via networksolutions, natch.
I certainly don't feel this way, but looks like Network Solutions does. I wonder if the ALCU would care about this?
and vote with your dollars I'd say. This is not acceptable.
It's theirs:
...
Registrant:
This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
Domain Name: PURPLEPICKLEDPENGUINS.COM
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Network Solutions, LLC domainsupport@networksolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
1-888-642-9675 fax: 571-434-4620
Record expires on 08-Jan-2009.
Record created on 08-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 15:11:35 EST.
Networksolutions can't stay competitive with godaddy and every other registrar, so rather than reducing prices they are holding domains hostage
1 year domain reg with godaddy = $9.99
1 year domain reg with network solutions = $34.99
I hope you folks who are writing programs to randomly search millions of domain names on Whois or whatever do one thing: at least initially, limit your search to the more useless ones, such as those starting with three consonants in a row and such.
By all means progress to more useful ones as time passes, but let's at least start with getting these thieves to throw their money away on really unusable site names. As they adapt, have something left in the tank to keep adaptively screwing with them.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
This either means that the username and password information in your wp-config.php file is incorrect or we can't contact the database server at localhost. This could mean your host's database server is down.
Are you sure you have the correct username and password?
Are you sure that you have typed the correct hostname? Are you sure that the database server is running? If you're unsure what these terms mean you should probably contact your host. If you still need help you can always visit the WordPress Support Forums.
What's up with this? That's a new error message on me.
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
I tried "slimybuggersatnetsolsuck.com" and sure enough it's taken now.
LMAO, I just tried to look up "netsol-gobbles-knob" and found it's already been registered by netsol ... I'm glad to see how this thread is having such a profound affect on how people are spending their tuesday afternoon.
What a coincidence that just today, NSI spammed their customers with a Winter DNS sale announcement. Perhaps they are betting the hate will die down after the 3 week sale. If you need some help moving your DNS away from NSI, take a look at their HOW-TO
Domain names are cheap. Just pick your registrar, write down a list of your desired domains (with a pen), and attempt to register one by one until you get one or run out of names. There's no reason to check for its availability first, if it's not available, you won't be able to buy it, anyway. Unless they sell you a domain that already belongs to someone else. But then they'd be committing fraud and I'd wager you'd have a pretty good basis for suit, or even pressing criminal charges.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
So I had this idea, like why not help Network Solutions!
Simply use the link: http://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/index.jsp to register as many variants of your preferred domain name at various top level domains!
Earlier today, I did a search for networksolutionslikesmen at networksolutions.com and checked off every top level domain box. I then did a whois at network solutions. Guess what Network solutions already had all the ownership info filled in! Sweet.
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=networksolutionslikesmen.com
This could be fun.
.... ... }
int main (void) {
Could this be that they're attempting to put a temporary lock on a domain name, so you don't go to whois, be told it's available, and then finish the paperwork, and find out the domain name is gone?
Yes, if they're holding it more than an hour or so, then yes, their actions are reprehensible. Otherwise, they're using the equivalent of a lock to say 'Hey, someone at my site is interested in this, noo ne else can use it for an hour'.
...about domains being tasted by spammers etc. that then would try to sell them to you at inflated costs?
In some ways this is a lot better, so if I have an idea for a domain, go register it at NSI, get sidetracked, go back the next day, the domain would still be available and not stolen by somebody sniffing the whois traffic etc.
As long as network solutions is upfront with this practice I think it could definitely be spun as a positive vs a negative (check a domain here and you can be sure that you'll be able to register it for up to 5 days after, instead of risking it being stolen or held for ransom).
-- the cake is a lie
Limit the number of domains per individual to 10, and per organization to 30. It may be the only way to make the registration process somewhat fair.
I don't think these evil bastards have access to all failed lookups at the gtld servers.
Use whois only when you know the domain already exists.
Stop worrying about the risks of nuclear power and start worrying about the risks of not using nuclear power.
I always wondered what would happen if I searched for a domain name and then before I finished the checkout, the name was no longer available. I mean I guess it is probably not that likely, but it is certainly not impossible. This way, if you search for a domain name, NSI pre-registers it so that when you goto buy it you can be assured that no one else will have purchased it already.
nsjuststolemydomain-thosebastards.com
I'm sure they will, they've already taken networksolutionsisapieceofshit.com!
Look at the domains Network Solutions now owns!
the-real-microsoft.com
the-real-ibm.com
the-real-dell.com
the-real-walmart.com
the-real-esso.com
the-real-general-motors.com
the-real-ford.com
the-real-chrysler.com
Is there some way we can get RIAA mad at them? Register a bunch of domains using the names of songs, artists, lyrics, etc? I think if we could get a NSI vs RIAA fight going the sheer awesomeness of it would be brain melting.
You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
Welcome to Business 101... Most companies are run by crooks and thieves... Capitalizm Rulez!
I just searched netsolatemydomainsearch.{everything they offered} and then checked it on godaddy. The dot com version was taken, but the other TLDs were left alone.
e.g. netsol screenshot of me searching for a few sites:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/griffjon/2178156179/
GoDaddy saying the dot com version is taken:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/griffjon/2178156285/in/photostream/
Even more disgusting, the whois record has a freaking advert in it from netsol:
Registrant:
This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
Domain Name: NETSOLATEMYDOMAINSEARCH.COM
This Domain is Available - Register it Now!
600,000 domain names are registered daily! Don't delay; there's no guarantee
that a domain name you see today will still be here tomorrow!
Register it Now at www.NetworkSolutions.com.
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Network Solutions, LLC domainsupport@networksolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
1-888-642-9675 fax: 571-434-4620
Record expires on 08-Jan-2009.
Record created on 08-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 15:33:32 EST.
Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
Just looked up Network-solutions-antitrust-violation-demo.com. and Network Solutions registered it.
Time for ICANN to issue a policy under the registrar agreement to enforce section 3.7.9: "Registrar shall abide by any ICANN adopted specifications or policies prohibiting or restricting warehousing of or speculation in domain names by registrars."
That use of the word 'who' wraps up the whole problem. Corporations are only persons for the purposes that suit them. Their officers can be prosecuted for crimes, but the corporation itself is not being sentenced to death or to life (they are immortal) imprisonment for murder, nor are they sentenced to shorter terms for lesser crimes. But imagine if they were. What would things be like if corporations could have their charters revoked for murder, or put under extreme restrictions for a period of corporate imprisonment.
I've written a series of short stories (10 so far) about this. The sequence about corporate imprisonment starts in a story called "Full Circle", which begins like this...
Edward Reese, 62 and a tad too well-fed, wrinkled his nose at the smell of the badly cleaned kitchenette in the motel room he'd just checked into. He didn't even want to think about what might be living in the mattresses. "Well," he grumbled, "at least I won't have to sleep in this dump."
He glanced at the ancient clock-radio on the night stand. Five-thirteen. About right for a five o'clock meeting, except that there had been nobody to walk in on. Re-aiming the bulky remote laying on the room's small table, he switched on the TV news, and sat down to wait. He hated waiting for anyone, especially people he considered beneath his station.
"...in the pending grand theft case against lodging and food-services conglomerate, Fremont-Wayfarer. The Honorable Wilfred Clary, who had presided over the murder trial of the now-defunct Consolidated Communications Corporation, has been assigned to the case. According to our legal analyst, the precedent set in the Supreme Court's SandHill Realty decision, which granted..."
There was a knock at the door. Reese turned off the news.
You can read the whole thing here:
http://klurgsheld.wordpress.com/2007/09/01/short-story-full-circle/
Poke around the site. There's all kinds of stories out there now.
P. Orin Zack
...wanting to know why the hell anyone is still using NetSol.
"It doesn't cost enough, and it makes too much sense."
I've been meaning to move my domains off of NSI for quite a while, but laziness has kept me from doing so. No longer, after hearing about this practice.
So...
Who's the best registrar to switch to? I've got some stuff hosted with GoDaddy, but have been definitely underwhelmed by their customer service.
Wow. I thought they do this randomly but looks like every .com domain you search they buy it instantly. I am pretty sure they bought a lot of domains after /. picked up the story. I am heading over the BBBOnline website to file a complaint.
http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?compid=W7002368
... I just searched for 'WeLoveQaedaWeReallyDo.com' at a couple of whois sites, it seems to be registered by some organization called ' Network Polutions' or so, could you please have a look, they seem to be up to something, and I would really hate to be on the same plane as some of their bosses...
3:20pm - I searched for networksolutionsisabunchofdouchebags.com and they snapped it up
3:40pm - I searched for networsolutionsisabunchofsneakybuggers.com and they didn't touch it
Looks like they read slashdot and turned off the processing/squatting. Did a lookup at ns for some choice ones: randomcrapfromnetworksolutions asslickeratnetworksolutions with ALL available dom endings. They are still available from GoDaddy after the networksolutions search.
Oh, and give special emphasis on domains people could register to set up websites critical of Network Solutions itself, so NetSol will be in a position to deny their ability to register them!
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
-- Agent Kay, Men In Black
"Dad, you're giving in to mob mentality!"
"No I'm not, I'm hopping on the bandwagon! Now come on, son, get with the winning team!"
-- Bart and Homer, The Simpsons "Krusty Gets Busted"
It's a shame someone will mod this as flamebait instead of recognizing it as a voice of reason.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
I whipped up a quick script to check/register random 20 character alphanumeric strings... Because, you know, someone out there might like mCw7mxTSFdidHiJu9CI2.com
/. effect.
I've got it set at 1 check/registration every 10 seconds, just to prevent any 'DoS' issues...
This might not cost them anything, but I'm curious to see how their DB holds up under the
I know that Dotster does this.
.com as taken; only Dotster listed it as available.
I searched for a nameplate domain at Dotster, then tried to register it through a couple different registrars. All of them listed the
When faced with a problem, many web developers say "I know, I'll use JavaScript!".
Now they have two problems.
I thought you were joking but just did a whois on USELESSDOMAIN00001.COM for fun. and it really is registered to Network Solutions, LLC, with today's date. Wow.
Domain Name Wire has posted a response from NSI's PR department. Here's the relevent quote from NSI:
I just got off the phone with Susan Wade, who heads PR for Network Solutions. "This is a customer protection measure to protect customers from frontrunners," said Wade. "After four days, we release the domain." According to Wade, Network Solutions instituted this program as a test over the past few weeks. I asked if Network Solutions is actually acting as a frontrunner by doing this and she said there's a distinction. First, they are not monetizing the domains. Second, they have no intention of keeping the domains. All domains are released after the four day period.Translation: So if anyone else does it, it's bad, because they're domain front-running. But when we do it's it's ok, because, uh, we say so. No, really!
Shameless plug for my photos on Flickr
Now we need a script and cron job to check for the alternate names of multiple high-profile names every 5 days and one hour. Then someone can accuse NSI of cybersquatting and/or get the other registrars pissed off at them. And if you're worried about them blocking/retaliating against certain IPs, route it through a TOR or something. It's important to penalize the stupid actions of corporations when we can.
Sure I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?
...automate requests with a dictionary? Make them bankrupt themselves purchasing bogus domains? Is www.fucknetworksolutions.com already taken?! I was redirected to www.gobuddy.com.Try you too. May be someone will actually make it a permanent web page.
http://www.fucknetworksolutions.com/
Someone beat me to champmitchellsucks.com, registered early today. (Champ is their CEO. Who names a kid Champ? No wonder NSI has problems).
So now they're holding champmitchellshouldfirewhoeverdecidedtostealdomains.com
Now to write a letter...
Any sufficiently advanced technology is insufficiently documented.
networksolutionsSUX.com
guess they own it for the next 4 days...
-- I am the NRA, enough said...
While we take out the trash. Please excuse this interruption.
This picks two dictionary words and joins them together, possibly adding one or two numbers in as well just for the heck of it. It keeps a log of which domains are not found. A separate script can be run periodically to read the logfile and recheck to see if the domains have been registered.
This code is offered under the GPL version 1, 2, 3, BSD, MPL, and any other license you can think of.
This is America. Behavior like this by a high-profile company can bring down executives if not entire companies.
Can they be that stupid? I guess so.
If their CEO doesn't put a stop to this ASAP he'll find himself or his company in very hot water by weeks-end.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I was skeptical that NetSol would be that blatant so I ran a Whois of eatshitnetworksolutions.com at good old NetSol. 10 seconds later I headed over to PairNic which is where we normally register domains and ran a Whois through Pairnic. Sure enough the domain was unavailable.
Slashdotters unite and Slashdot NetSol Now!
"What would men be without women? Scarce, sir. Mighty scarce."- Mark Twain
I checked an obscure domain name through them in the last several days and it was available. Lo and behold, it is now registered. I will be calling their support line at 1.888.642.9675, and / or their technical support line at 1.866.391.HELP to figure out what is going on.
I sure hope I don't take up too much of their time, because 1-800 minutes aren't cheap for them, neither is tying up their support personnel. However, if you're curious about these practices, you might want to speak with them yourself - it's your right after all.
Better known as 318230.
They're really doing it: NSI just registered "llskjfsldjf.com", after I did a whois query.
I have never been that happy with their customer service, but this really is beyond even normal corporate greed and sleaziness.
Yep. I just did:
uselessdomain-here.com
I checked it elsewhere beforehand to confirm it was free, did a WHOIS with NSI and it took 25 seconds (!!) for the buggers to grab it.
I admit it certainly sounds sneaky, but perhaps they are just trying to ensure that the domain is still available when the "customer" finally finishes entering their payment information...
Where are the class action lawyers when you actually need one?
Anyone 'dotters actually harmed by this practice ?
Those who can do. Those who can't sue.
I tried PZRH5HNF.COM via the website and via a script and it is still available. I am in Belgium, so perhaps they just do it for US people.
:-D
Would be nice if anybody could verify.
I now get the following when doing a whois on their server:
Whois Query: gFrRXjlb.com
YOUR IP address is 82.146.XXX.YYY
Date and Time of Query: Tue Jan 08 16:12:42 EST 2008
Reason Code: IE
[Reconnect]
Long live the variable IP adress. Long live scripting.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
You can't trust commercial entities, especially USian ones, with the internet. They will just abuse it and continue to ruin it
batman-touched-my-junk-liberally.com
I was gonna register that one!
-- http://frobnosticate.com
damn this domain is already registered but networksolutionsbeencaughtstealling4you.com
is still free.
You know, I'll get on that, just as soon as I put the finishing touches on this useful program I'm writing to analyze the source code of small scripts that seem to hang, to determine whether they really hang (because of a programming mistake) or just have a lot to process but will eventually finish.
[
for the C.S. impaired: the parent's suggestion is ridiculously infeasable
]
comming up with 50 really nasty domain names. all starting with networksolutions...........com
I was randomly searching domain names but you have to look it up on a competing registrar for them to register it. It wouldn't show up as owned by them until I looked it up under someone else's registrar.
....for people with blonde hair: Domain Name: TONIGHTWOMANWELLBEDRIVINGDOWNSEPULVEDA.COM Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC. Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com/ Name Server: NS1.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM Name Server: NS2.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM Status: ok Updated Date: 08-jan-2008 Creation Date: 08-jan-2008 Expiration Date: 08-jan-2009
nsistolethisdomain.com Registrant: This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com 13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300 HERNDON, VA 20171 US Domain Name: NSISTOLETHISDOMAIN.COM Administrative Contact, Technical Contact: Network Solutions, LLC 13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300 HERNDON, VA 20171 US 1-888-642-9675 fax: 571-434-4620 Record expires on 08-Jan-2009. Record created on 08-Jan-2008. Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 16:25:34 EST. Domain servers in listed order: ns1.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.190.55 ns2.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.189.55
Another confirmation here. Problem is real and exists.
I'm sure they see it as their "lead" or their "customer" since the request occurred using their resources or whatever.
What a bunch of assholes.
I hope the right person is able to bring this to the attention of IACANN or whoever whenever the domain tasting issue re-surfaces.
I've actually always been suspicious of this. I've never run my domain name through a WHOIS service, but simply entered it in my browser's address bar (though I guess it's possible this isn't "safe" either) to see if it was owned or not.
Sorry pal, this is Slashdot. Source or GTFO.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
Whois.net reports on networksolutionswhore.com:
"The domain name you have requested is registered with Network Solutions"
However, Network Solutions says this name is still available. So...there must be a bot that puts a hold tag on the name for Network Solutions within ICANN for someone to register this particular name with and only with Network Solutions. So looking at the one example above, I guess the next step in the bot is to soldify their holding of the name (keep it for the company to now sell) if no one registers it within a period of time after the inital query.
http://networksolutionsbeencaughtstealing.com/ has gone too!
IMHO, bullshit.
Info can be found at this article: NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches http://www.dotsauce.com/2008/01/08/networksolutions-scandal-hijacking-domain-searches
networksolutionscrooks.com
networksolutions-dumbasses.com
networksolutions-losers.com
networksolutions-greedy-assholes.com
networksolutions-corporate-slime.com
networksolutions-ceo-gone-mad.com
networksolutions-filthy-practices.com
networksolutions-filth.com
networksolutions-damain-name-snatchers.com
networksolutions-snatchers.com
networksolutions-fraud.com
networksolutions-fraudsters.com
networksolutions-gangsters.com
networksolutions-domain-gangsters.com
networksolutions-domain-fraud.com
networksolutions-domain-fraudsters.com
networksolutions-domain-crooks.com
networksolutions-domain-crime.com
networksolutions-theives.com
networksolutions-domain-theives.com
networksolutions-domain-robbers.com
networksolutions-ceo-on-drugs.com
networksolutions-ceo-gone-mad-with-power.com
networksolutions-crooked-strategies.com
networksolutions-criminal-strategies.com
networksolutions-greedy-strategies.com
networksolutions-greed-gone-wild.com
networksolutions-robbers-of-domain-names.com
networksolutions-anything-to-make-a-buck.com
networksolutions-makes-money-by-stealing.com
networksolutions-greedy-theives.com
Network Solutions just launched a new website that, no doubt, they are going to use in order to help people get the help that they need. I think that is wonderful and shows a good concern for humanity, above and beyond anything that a mere money-grubbing scumbag would do. I just hope that the name isn't too confusingly similar to that of another organization.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Coincidentally, icann has just released a report on domain tasting, and is asking for the public to comment. Be sure to log your comment here:
http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-07jan08.htm
This should result with banning them from this business immediately.
.tv domain names, where NSI (their company enom.tv) is allowed to set a renewal price and the owners of the domain names are not allowed to appeal or transfer their domain names to other registrars. It's a completely ridiculous monopoly, which should not exist at the first place.
If this does not, then what?
They should also have an end of monopoly for so called premium
Initially, I was thinking Hanlon's Razor. Even though NetSol has never proven worthy of being given the benefit of a doubt, in the interest of undeserved fairness, I'd assume the best.
Then, however, I got to thinking about the situation. It *doesn't* protect the customer at all, now, does it? If John Q. Hostmaster looks up JohnQHostmasterIsGreat.com, little Johnny can't register the domain anywhere else, but *anyone* can register the domain from NetSol. A "domain speculator" (i.e. lying, conniving jerk) can come right after and purchase the domain from NetSol in the wonderful "5-day waiting period".
By making it more costly to grab domains out from under the curious, it may allow some people to register their domains before they're sniped, but you can't overlook the side effect. At best, you can think of it as NetSol charging you a "protection fee" for making it slightly more expensive for the "speculators". At worst, well, you can think of it exactly as it appears: a simple case of greed with a very thin veneer of "for the children".
"NSIBLOWSGOATS.COM is already taken." says GoDaddy. But when I try to find out by whom, it says, "The Registry Whois service did not respond. Please try again later." Sounds like they might be getting wise that we're getting wise.
You can now buy uselessdomain00001.com for $34.99.
So they are DEFINITELY monetizing it, by charging more now that it has some traffic.
paintball
and randomly put real words together. be sure to so the - separated versions too.
Also write a javascript version and seed your signatures, ads, etc. with them.
onload=.... etc etc.
TicketMaster does this same thing. When you select a seat, your ticket is "locked" for 20 minutes, giving you time to register it to keep someone from jacking it while you fumble for your credit card.
This makes sense to me, and I wouldn't be upset if Network Solutions did that, even for an hour or so, just to prevent it (though, if ICANN would end this domain tasting nonsense, and NSI's website communicated with WHOIS over SSL, I'd call it a statistical improbability someone would try to get the exact same name you are unless it is highly topical like dont-taze-me-bro.com). I doubt there is anyone who who'd be using WHOIS that needs 5 days to sure up the funds to actually finish the transaction.
But 5 days seems completely assinine.
Forgive my spelling from time to time. I'm often posting during short breaks.
Or maybe their script got slashdotted. I'm trying maybethisoneisstilfree.com and petersowndomain.com and they just stayed available for at least 10 minutes.
This is not the sig you're looking for.
anonsensedomaintoseeifnetworksolutionswillregister.com
Checked an hour ago, already registered to them now..
Open a tool like scite and paste a huge block of text.
Mass replace all of the special chars and spaces out.
Then randomly make new lines.
Paste '.com' on the end of every line...
Goto network solutions and you can find a box that can take up to 10 domains to "check" at once....
Paste something similar to:
Pakistanielectionsw.com
eretobeheldtodaybutthed.com
eathofBenazir.com
BhuttohaschangedallofthatDick.com
GordontalkstoMun.com
izehSanaiayoungradiohosto.com
napopmusicsta.com
tioninKarachi.com
ThenightBenazirBhutt.com
owaskilledMunizehwaso.com
nairShestoppedplay.com
ingmusicandlaterwatchedw.com
ithsadnessfromarooft.com
opasabuswasburnedinfront.com
ofherofficebuildin.com
gYetasshetellsDickthecityrema.com
inslargelymisun.com
derstoodbythoseoutsideit.com
Munizehknow.com
swhatshestalkingab.com
outShewa.com
sbornandraisedinK.com
arachiShewen.com
ttocollegeint.com
eUSbutthenm.com
ovedback3yearsago.com
toacitythatw.com
asevenmorevol.com
atilethantheo.com
nesheleft.com
Have fun...
(all the above have already been searched...)
They seem fairly competent at running an arguably complex system, the NANPA.
What needs to happen is that the 'core' services of root servers and central domain registry need to be run by a not-for-profit who is legally barred by threat of criminal prosecution from any profit making venture related to their service. You could also get this same entity to run a centralized PKI root authority for all the SSL cert vendors.
Then the profit-making crap can be done by everyone else, and when the rules get broken its much easier to cut the sleazy operators out.
In fact, it surprises me that domain registration and SSL PKI root authorities *aren't* run this way and NANPA is.
"ICANN will fix everything"
whois -h whois.networksolutions.com `date +uniquename%s|md5sum|cut -d " " -f 1`.com|tail -n 1
I just wish there was some way to execute that once a second... hmm... w... a... t... c.....
Bot Assisted Blogging
... they doesn't like people polling whois information so rapidly, so they cut you off around 50, I guess. That's how spammers used to build up their lists, by using the whois contact information.
Burns: That's right, keep tasting those domains.
Little do you know you're getting ever closer to the poison domain.
Smithers! There still is a poison domain, isn't there?
Smithers: Ah, no sir. Our lawyers thought that would be murder.
Burns: Damn their oily hides!
I've got your sig, right here.
...would you mind posting it?
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
If so, then it seems like the best plan of attack is for everybody to search for every useless name. Then they'll be paying out the rear for useless domains that they throw away anyway. Of course, this is an utterly stupid idea if they get them for free. So which is it?
Just found this in the ICANN Front-running paper. Note the contact email at the end...
For each instance of suspected domain name front running, the type of information that would be most useful in studying the case includes but is not limited to:Method used to check domain name availability (e.g., web browser, application).
Local access ISP.
Provider or operator of the availability checking service.
Dates and times when domain name availability checks were performed.
Copy of the information returned (e.g., WHOIS query response) in the response to the availability check.
Whether the domain name was reported as previously registered or never before registered in the response returned from the availability check.
Copy of the information returned (e.g., WHOIS query response) indicating the name had been registered.
Copies of any correspondence sent to or received from the registrant perceived to be a front runner.
Correspondence with the registrar or availability checking service.
Any information indicating a potential relationship between the availability checking service and the registrant that grabbed the name.
Please submit incidents to the SSAC Fellow at SSAC-DNFR@ICANN.org.
Shameless plug for my photos on Flickr
Registering random domain names won't accomplish anything, nor will registering variants of nsi-sucks.com. Nobody cares.
However, if you were to search for some radical political domain names, something insulting of current political figures or supportive of all the various groups and countries that we like to call enemies these days. Then send links to various news organizations showing that these radical domain names are all owned by NSI. Bill O'Reilley and Rush would have a ball with this.
How about a whole battery of pro-abortion domains, and then send the whois screenshots to various vocal church groups? "See? All owned by Network Solutions!"
How about some nasty racist domains and then send the whois info to the NAACP and such. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are always looking for their next photo op and sound bite.
You get the idea.
Enjoy!
Have you not read the previous threads... they don't pay for it. All the domains reserved that's not purchased are returned. All the major registrars have this option.
Shashi Bellamkonda appears to be working for Network Solutions. He claims on his blog that they're doing it to protect people from frontrunners. He also replied to the firehose submission. He also made sure his reply (that probably nobody read, because it was to the firehose post) was cited on Wikipedia.
Of course his claims are not verifiable, and the fact that they have been doing it stealthily until found out doesn't make them any more credible. Bellamkonda himself says he just found out about this practice, so how would he know?
Next: NSI spreads trojans to protect people from malware.
well they're still at it...
Domain Name: GEORGE-BUSH-SHOULD-BE-ASSASINATED.COM
Record expires on 08-Jan-2009.
Record created on 08-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 17:30:07 EST.
Treason?
Network Solutions has a history of engaging in scummy unethical business practices.
I have been avoiding them like a disease for years now.
It's true no man is an island, but if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie 'em together, they make a good raft.
Sounds like its time to take Old Yeller into the backroom and shoot it!
They deserve to have their corporate charter pulled and for ICANN to revoke their domain registrar status.
We have four boxes with which to defend our freedom: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.
Imagine what would happen if they registered something per se libelous ("______-has-aids.com" would work if I remember anything about US law)? Given that the person in whose name that was registered might have nothing to do with the whole affair and just got libeled, well... can you say "fireworks"?
All of a sudden Whois.net seems to be loading much more slowly. I wonder what could be happening!
I thought this story sounded like a fun read. Nothing better then a good-old slash/bash with a big evil company.
But if I thought about it for longer then a few seconds the practice (almost) makes sense. What if your new domain got registered or hell, was actually scooped by a front-runner? I imagine Network Solutions customers would probably be frustrated or angry.
Developing the system and as an accredited registrar, knowing the tasting policy it would almost be negligent not to do this. It costs the registrar nothing and conceivably protects their customer. The only people who might not benefit would be clients that use the service to search then attempt to use a different registrar, a small group (besides, it's released in just a few days).
Of course the test would be if the domains are truly being release (which it seems they are) and the down-side is how the idea would scale (what if someone wrote a script to perform random searches? what if *all* registrars did this?). I don't think it would scale well and I think it would be a nightmare if everybody started doing this.
Quack, quack.
I found that a simple lookup caused NetworkSolutions to register the domain. You have to wait 30-60 seconds before it shows up in a search on another site. No need to initiate a purchase or click "Add Domain(s) to Order."
" IMHO, bullshit."
Well... hang on and think about it for a second. In a perfect world if you look up a domain it remains available. But this is not a perfect world, we have ICANN instead.
My first reaction when reading TFA was "no way. they can't be".
But I see their point. With over a hundred registrars, many of them just squatters who want to get domains for the wholesale price of $6, it does appear ot be true that if you look up a domain at NSI you are still able to purchase it.
Compare this to some other registrar where if you look it up suddenly it's sold and now you have to buy it on the secondary market which will cost you way more that a regular domain. Lessor of two evils perhaps?
How long does it take to happen? I just looked up a long silly name at NSI and fifteen mninutes later it's still availalable. Anybody else notice this?
Need Mercedes parts ?
Oh, come on, aren't there lots of people who've said that about Network Solutions over the years? You'd assume somebody would have taken that by now.
Registrant:
This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
Domain Name: NETWORKSOLUTIONSISSHIT.COM
This Domain is Available - Register it Now!
600,000 domain names are registered daily! Don't delay; there's no guarantee
that a domain name you see today will still be here tomorrow!
Register it Now at www.NetworkSolutions.com.
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Network Solutions, LLC domainsupport@networksolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
1-888-642-9675 fax: 571-434-4620
Record expires on 08-Jan-2009.
Record created on 08-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 17:47:14 EST.
Domain servers in listed order:
ns1.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.190.55
ns2.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.189.55
Whois Lookup
Expire Date: 01/08/2009
Admin email address: domainsupport@networksolutions.com
Registrant: This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Status: active
Locked: N
Raw whois output:
Domain Name: NETWORKSOLUTIONSSUCKSDICK.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com/
Name Server: NS1.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM
Name Server: NS2.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM
Status: ok
Updated Date: 08-jan-2008
Creation Date: 08-jan-2008
Expiration Date: 08-jan-2009
NOTICE AND TERMS OF USE: You are not authorized to access or query our WHOIS
database through the use of high-volume, automated, electronic processes. The
Data in Network Solutions' WHOIS database is provided by Network Solutions for information
purposes only, and to assist persons in obtaining information about or related
to a domain name registration record. Network Solutions does not guarantee its accuracy.
By submitting a WHOIS query, you agree to abide by the following terms of use:
You agree that you may use this Data only for lawful purposes and that under no
circumstances will you use this Data to: (1) allow, enable, or otherwise support
the transmission of mass unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations
via e-mail, telephone, or facsimile; or (2) enable high volume, automated,
electronic processes that apply to Network Solutions (or its computer systems). The
compilation, repackaging, dissemination or other use of this Data is expressly
prohibited without the prior written consent of Network Solutions. You agree not to use
high-volume, automated, electronic processes to access or query the WHOIS
database. Network Solutions reserves the right to terminate your access to the WHOIS
database in its sole discretion, including without limitation, for excessive
querying of the WHOIS database or for failure to otherwise abide by this policy.
Network Solutions reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.
Get a FREE domain name registration, transfer, or renewal with any annual hosting package
- or just $8.95 with monthly packages.
http://www.networksolutions.com/
Visit AboutUs.org for more information about NETWORKSOLUTIONSSUCKSDICK.COM
AboutUs: NETWORKSOLUTIONSSUCKSDICK.COM
"I once preached peaceful coexistence with Windows. You may laugh at my expense - I deserve it." Be's Jean-Louis Gass
NSI will soon be the proud owner the following domains:
networksolutionscansuckmyballs.com
networksolutionscangofuckthemselves.com
networksolutionsarecocksuckers.com
networksolutionstakesitupthekeister.com
It's interesting to note they put this disclaimer for every search:
600,000 domain names are registered daily! Don't delay; there's no guarantee that a domain name you see today will still be here tomorrow!
Yeah, that's because the bastards went and registered it themselves.
"You'll get nothing, and you'll like it!"
Correction: This was just a latency thing... they've now scooped up http://www.nsiregisterseverydomainchecked.com/ and http://www.nsiregisterseverydomain.com./
I have to assume that http://www.reallyreallyuseless.com/ is only a matter of time.
Pi Ran Out
With the registration time, it should be easy for shady individuals to register them the second NSI drops them.
rofl, this is going to be too much fun
http://whois.domaintools.com/nsi-hates-niggers-and-jews.com
Hi my name is Shashi Bellamkonda and I work for Network Solutions. Aprreciate the opportunity to clarify. Here is a response on Circleid http://www.circleid.com/posts/81082_network_solutions_front_running/. Network Solutions is not front running. We've implemented a customer protection measure to help defend our customers against the actions of "front runners" or those persons who register domain names known to have been searched, for the purpose of monetizing them and then selling them at inflated prices either directly to the customer who searched for the domain or through aftermarket channels. The protection measure holds the searched domains at Network Solutions for up to 4 days so customers can take the time to decide whether registration of the domain name will help them build and protect their brand. Network Solutions is not registering these names at the end of the reservation period with the hope of selling them in the secondary market. Likewise, we're not placing any advertisements on these domains to monetize their traffic while they are in the reservation period.
Social Media Swami | Network Solutions | http://blog.networksolutions.com
Silly script k!dd!35......LOL WTF?!
curl -oYeah, right.
Looks like NSI is now the proud owner of networksolutionssellskiddyporn.com
If you really want to create a bad day for people, then just run scripts to register every possible domain name by doing NS whois lookups. NS registry will grow and people will have to register through them. More people will complain to NS about this bad practice they are running.
They now own: fuckyounetworksolutionsassholes.com
Can you imagine the nightmare it's going to create with all those Trademark monitoring organizations out there like MarkMonitor? Can you imagine if you queried high-profile trademark domains such as: MicrosoftSunCiscoWalMartIBMFord.com and they "reserved" the names?
I just hit it and looks like they now own it.
Domain Name: MICROSOFTSUNCISCOWALMARTIBMFORD.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com/
Name Server: NS1.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM
Name Server: NS2.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM
Status: ok
Updated Date: 08-jan-2008
Creation Date: 08-jan-2008
Expiration Date: 08-jan-2009
Since Network Solutions registered the domain, I'm sure its triggering a response to MarkMonitor's "clients". I'm sure MarkMonitor and the other TM moitoring sites are going crazy now.
http://networksolutions-are-paedophiles.com/images/photo-person.jpg
Domain Tasting really needs to go away, but until it does we'll just have to change our paradigms. (Actually I'm kind of surprised - in the past I've thought there was absolutely no good reason for it to exist, but in my previous paragraph of ranting I appear to have found one....
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
As one who has owned domains since the early 90's, I have to laugh at you explaining this to me. My only point was that the register put a lock on the domain because you used that companies whois. Do not use theirs. Use your own. I have always installed it on my systems at home. Far too useful. After all, it does have more uses, such as finding out exactly WHO is spamming you, is a more useful idea in this day and age (I still find newbie spammers who actually registered their names).
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
More like "All your domain are belong to NSI"
:P
A 4th group making serious money on the internet: Domain registrars along with
1) ISP companies (that get you online in the first place)
2) Amazon and eBay (physical economy facillitators)
3) Online ad agencies disguised as search engines (Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Ask).
Basically, for everone else the internet is just for information or entertainment.
I basically gave up trying to sell stuff I create online. No one is interested as I am not a multibillion dollar company with an ad budget to match to flog my stuff online as available for purchase.
Slashdot CAPTCHA: bureaus (coincidence?!?)
this is what it sounds like to me:
you walk into a store and see a jacket you like. you tell the clerk you want that jacket and the clerk puts it behind the counter for you. the only problem is they hold it for 4 %$^#ing days and you left after 5 minutes and decided not to buy it.
just like many things even though the intentions may be noble... the implementation is not.
you idiots are making them money by linking to the domains.
you're playing right into their hands while you think you're being smartass.
man, some people today are clueless...
If this is true (and I'll disclose here that I operate an ICANN accredited registrar myself) then my guess is any registrar doing this would be taking advantage of the 5-day grace period, in effect domain-tasting all of these regs and dumping the non-producing ones before the grace period expires for a full refund. This is currently being examined by ICANN but the loophole is still there.
In other words they could do this on a massive scale with a zero cost base and just keep the names that produce PPC revenues within the first five days.
Sorry for the self promotion with what follows, but when I first heard about this we added a "Guaranteed Lookup Privacy" statement to our easywhois portal, basically just going on record saying we have not, do not, will never do this. We feel it runs contrary to the interests of the customer.
What are they tracking to decide when to stop holding the domain or what logic do they use to see if it's a bogus scripted DNS query? Tracking IP? Anyone tried running the script behind TOR?
Network solutions reports that networksolutionsrunbyshitheads,com is available but Godaddy.com sez it is taken.
I don't have any mod points. Somebody check this (it's true!) and mod insightful.
I wanted to check this out for myself, and it certainly seems to be working as described. Within 15 minutes of checking for NSIAREDICKHEADS.COM, I checked whois again.
That behavior should gain immediate revocation of their registrar status by ICANN. ICANN should seize their records, find those domains stolen that way, and release them back into the pool (without announcing which they are, for maybe 6 months to a year "cooling off period"). Then auction off the other more legitimate domains (one by one, but automated and discounted of course) to the other registrars, but let their registrants choose where to take them first, or take the money from their winning registrar.
NSI has had a license to print money for over a decade. They suck anyway. But this behavior is absolutely unacceptable. If ICANN accepts it without smashing them as an appropriate response and as a lesson to those who ICANN supposedly "rules", then ICANN will once and for all be exposed as a fraud designed solely to exploit registrants and consumers.
I predict the latter.
--
make install -not war
but I got sidetracked and was blogging about how the whole community are fucktards.
ICANN PDF on Domain Tasting/Reserving I found at http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-07jan08.htm/ addresses some of the issues. From TFA "Making changes to the grace period, such as eliminating the add grace period entirely; 2) making the ICANN transaction fee apply to deletes within the add grace period"
We're making them money by linking to it? How so? There are no ads on the page! If you can make money by simply linking to a page displaying your own text and images coming from your own servers, I plan to be an Internet millionaire by the end of the week!!!
And never let it be said that Network Solutions is not without innovation. It offers me alternatives if I can't get the
Da Blog
NS should be fined.
Then, they should be permanently banned from being a domain registrar forever. That sort of penalty is the only acceptable solution to send the right message to other registrars, and hurt enough to be fair.
I was personally hurt by this, as I was doing domain searches, then tried to buy through someone cheaper, and had to go with a different domain than I wanted. I thought somebody seriously bought the domain out from under me. Assholes.
Oh brother! Another wildcard DNS server (not even RFC compliant, it returns a CNAME for every query, with no glue and no SOA, even when asked explicitly). These domains are parked on ns1. and ns2.reserveddomainname.com. All a spammer needs to do is search NSI for a domain, and it begins to resolve and can be used to spam.
The following domains are installed on my anti-spam relays' caching nameservers as empty stub zones. It prevents my anti-spam relays from resolving any domains hosted on nameservers that live in these zones. It accounts for a very large percentage of blocked spam on my systems, and I recommend mail admins start blocking domains hosted on wildcard DNS servers. It's quick, easy, painless, and your content filter will thank you for easing its workload (if it could talk and had emotions, that is).
cheap-dns-host.com
domainservice.com
fastpark.net
namesdiscount24.net
name-services.com
names-service.com
parked.com
parkingsave.net
reserveddomainname.com
versans1.com
versans2.com
versans3.com
versans4.com
versans.com
Edith Keeler Must Die
Muahahaha...
http://www.uselessdomain999999.com/
I thought I'd try it out: http://www.payupnetworksolutions.com
I can't believe this is the first time many of you heard of NSI and this practice. I first noticed it back in 95-6. This is certainly not anything new. NSI == evil. We all know that and have known it for some time.
Yep. You could have a variety of verb/noun combinations randomly generated from two tables, all implying sexual and other perversions on behalf of the company.
Check it yourself at http://whois.domaintools.com/network-solutions-stole-this-domain.com
http://thesmilingguyisapedo.com/
I'm thinking that Terrorists could use this system as a way to clandestinely send information to their "cells".
So how do you find out if a particular domain name had this happen to it? What signs would you look for when WHOIS'ing it (or anything else that would yield hints)?
locked to NSI for the next 4 days...
Registrant:
This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
Domain Name: NSISUCKSASS.COM
This Domain is Available
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Administrative Contact :
Network Solutions, LLC
domainsupport@networksolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
Phone: 1-888-642-9675
Fax: 571-434-4620
Technical Contact :
Network Solutions, LLC
domainsupport@networksolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
Phone: 1-888-642-9675
Fax: 571-434-4620
Record expires on 08-Jan-2009
Record created on 08-Jan-2008
Database last updated on 08-Jan-2008
Domain servers in listed order: Manage DNS
ns1.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.190.55
ns2.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.189.55
Show underlying registry data for this record
Current Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
IP Address: 205.178.189.133 (ARIN & RIPE IP search)
IP Location: US(UNITED STATES)-VIRGINIA-HERNDON
Lock Status: ok
DMOZ no listings
Y! Directory: see listings
Data as of: 14-Jun-2005
Reforming the DisGrace Period by Larry Seltzer, 2008/01/08. Covers domain tasting and the current stance of ICANN and the registries.
It's beautiful. I got them to register BigGiganticDonkeyDicks.com! What a bunch of lowlifes they are. To think they once ruled all domain registration and are now reduced to bottom feeding.
.com and .net domains can now be registered
Whois Server Version 2.0
Domain names in the
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net/
for detailed information.
Domain Name: BIGGIGANTICDONKEYDICKS.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com/
Name Server: NS1.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM
Name Server: NS2.RESERVEDDOMAINNAME.COM
Status: ok
Updated Date: 08-jan-2008
Creation Date: 08-jan-2008
Expiration Date: 08-jan-2009
Game-theory advice for Network Solutions - DECREASE the hold-time to say HALF of the legal max - AND ADVERTISE WHAT YOU'RE DOING UP-FRONT "Pick Registrar, then pick Domain". If you know already that you will be using a different, say cheaper registrar, then what are you doing using up NSI's resources for the search phase ? This is analogous to test-driving a car at some dealership knowing full well you will close the deal somewhere else. Game-theory-wise, dealerships SHOULD charge for test-drives. In other words there is this asymmetry. If a BUSINESS lures you in and then tries to sell you something else that's bait-and-switch, that's unethical. But for consumers to be absolutely ruthless in test-driving and free-sampling, the other side of the coin ?
The 1 week grace period should only be used to correct clerical errors in registration.
If they had to pay a year's registration for each speculatitive test drive, we wouldn't have this problem.
I Just followed the link to uselessdomain0001.com. Check out the blue globe logo at the top.. now check out this CC licensed SVG image on Wikipedia: Applications-internet.svg. Looks like someone "accidentally" forgot to include the Creative Commons Share Alike license on that page.. hmmmm.
I think it's pretty obvious that NSI is just a scummy company, through and through.
P.S. If uselessdomain0001.com has changed by the time you read this, just check out uselessdomain0002.com or any other similarly tasted domain.
http://cltracker.net -- powerful craigslist multi-city search
The response really is a bunch of crap of course. If they're "protecting" your domain, then how come anyone can go register it within that time frame, as long as its from them?
Now I can start a business of blocking competitors domain names, just do a netsol query every few days.
[[ 'test drive' costs almost nothing ]] Conceded, but also to choose a different registrar with a click of the mouse is VASTLY cheaper than physically traveling to a dealership to look at cars. TCO is such a fruitful concept. The effort involved in visiting the dealership allows the dealer to provide free coffee and not be mobbed by free-sample-seekers. Numbers-wise NSI is perhaps having problems, are their finances public, anyway they surely can't afford game-theory-advice. To do this in a sneaky way is so totally different than up-front, what could they possibly have been thinking, it's pure PR-downside. Daniel Day-Lewis may be able to put himself in the head of a greedy oil-man, but I cannot imagine issuing orders to do something like this, without putting on the Alfred E. Neumann hat that is.
Along a similar vein, I wrote this web form that uses dig about a year ago when I contemplated buying several domain names. I wanted a tool to minimize the chance of front-running happening to me, which means avoiding WHOIS lookups.
It uses the Linux dig command (man page), which amounts to a DNS lookup, to guess if the domain is registered. It's not bulletproof. There are occasional false-negatives if someone has registered a domain but hasn't set up DNS for it. Someday they'll snoop DNS lookups, but that doesn't seem to be the case just yet - besides DNS lookups don't necessarily go through NSI servers, or do they?
Oh...
;) )
nevermind.
(BTW - 'blowmenetsol.com' is still available, if you want it. I only searched through companies other then {evil, scum-sucking} NetSol to see if it was registered...
"...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can." ~ Mark Twain
Do you use the Bill Clinton definition, or the Richard Bach version*? ;)
*Which would have the 'I" capitalized, like so: Is.
"...there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can." ~ Mark Twain
weregisteredthisbecausewearescum.com
ifyoublowmeyoucanhavethisdomain.com
iamacybersquatterfromindividuals.com
yoourdomainwillbeassimilated.com
reindeerareeatingmyplantsandunderwear.com
that should hold 'em.....
Any sleight-of-hand, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from technology.
Just transfer your domain to some other registrar. I have transferred a domain from NetSol to GoDaddy,com. It's not a BIG hit to their bottom line, but every transfer away from NetSol has to hurt a little, right?
heh, my personal experience with network solutions is after 10 years of their hosting I tried to switch registrars. Upon contacting them they asked for the CVV of the original card to register my site (mind you every new card has a new cvv and credit cards expire after a few years)...I got it wrong, they ignored all further communication, changed all the information in my whois, and sold my domain out from under me. Network solutions absolutely sucks.
Due to no fault of registrars, Front Runners purchase search data from Internet Service Providers and/or registries and then taste those names. Some folks may not agree with our approach, but we are trying to prevent this malicious activity from impacting our customers.
Um, explain to me how anyone but NSI would be responsible for providing search results from their whois service to front runners? And how exactly does that make them "your" customers anyway? And why didn't you announce this instead of waiting for it to leak out?
These guys have been pushing the boundaries - and not in a good way - for 15 years now. Hijacking, overcharging, slamming, spamming, and scamming. They've preemptively locked domain names well before their registration expired, and held them to ransom for an extra year's overpriced fees. They've claimed ownership of .com, they've wildcarded the top level to make all typos go to their advertising page, they've sent out fraudulent "renewal notices" to con people into transferring domains registered with other registrars, if there's a plausible way to monetize bad behavior, they've tried it...
So I go to said watering-hole, and, hell, I don't know what's lurking in my subconscious, but I type in "upabunniesbutt.com" for a search. All well and good, they've got an extra domain registered yadayada.
And then I look at the list of recommended alternatives:
upabunniesbutthole.com
kickupabunniesbutt.com
upabunniesbuttmonkey.com
I must be twisted, but the last one had me cleaning coffee off my laptop screen - hours of entertainment for the humouristically challenged ! You, sir, are my hero !
The report isn't lying. I just tried this:
whois networksolutionstakesitintheass.com
and it replied with this:
Registrant:
This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
Domain Name: NETWORKSOLUTIONSTAKESITINTHEASS.COM
Record expires on 09-Jan-2009.
Record created on 09-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 9-Jan-2008 03:12:58 EST.
Damn, that's the funniest thing I've seen all year.
Thanks Slashdot, you almost made up for all the hoaxes.
But at least for now they provide us with cheap fun.
look it this domain is available on NSI !
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
... that would be *helping* NSI carry out their slimy deeds, because anyone who tried to register any of those names during the next five days would be FORCED to buy it from them. Moreover any 'type-ins' would get NSI ads displayed.
It doesn't seem that they obey their own terms of service if they have a bot set up to register domains whenever they are queried, but then again, I suppose they have no reason to obey them either - it's not as if they will ban themselves from access.
On a side note, they STILL haven't registered nsi_sucks_dogs_balls.com yet. I am a little disappointed, but I am sure that it will be picked up soon.
I am not stubborn. I am right!
Unlikely. They were InterNIC once. They're probably not even putting a complete record in DNS, just a TXT line that makes it look as if the domain is registered.
I'm not joking:
NETWORK-SOLUTIONS-WORSHIPS-OSAMA-BIN-LADEN.COM is already taken.
What's not to hate about these guys? Better call the cops:
icannsleeponthejob.com
Your 20c ICANN taxes at work...
I see a way here to protect all of your unregistered domains for $0. If your domain is NSIsucksmonkeyballs.com, and you don't want to pay to also register the .net, .org, .biz, and any other version of your domain, then simply run an automated script that searches for all of those domains via Network Solutions 'whois' every 4 days. Presto! All of your unregistered domains are 'protected' from use, and you didn't spend a dime!
Brilliant!
I highly doubt that the 1800 staff know anything that will be useful - and even if they did, they won't be able to tell you.
Damn I love this world.
Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
The competition for domain registerings is obviously starting to take a toll.
They also steal your domain for 24-48 hours if you change the DNS pointers. Rather than going ahead and pointing your site, it gets switched to their context search page. I've tried to drum up sum publicity behind this without much success - to me, it's even worse than what they are doing now. You can get around their crap on this by using the whois at a better registrar - if you already have your site at NetSol, well you either move it (which I'm in the process of doing..except..oh, to proetect me, since I change my e-mail address, they are locking up my domains for two months)..
NetSol sucks period and they need a spanking. They are way out of control.
What happens if you put a query in today and then 4 days later put in the same query? Do they extend the first registration and end up paying?
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku a Haiku has 3 lines.
This is cyber-squatting, and a violation of the US Federal Anti-Cyber-Squatting Act.
Andy
pwgen 50 10 Have fun pasting that into their checking thing at http://www.networksolutions.com/ - it's a pity you can only 'check' 10 domains at once :/
If anyone can wrap that into a POST request, please reply here :)
Richard
Which stupid bean-counter at Network Solutions approved this short-sighted rip-off? They'll have to stop doing this at some point because, as word gets around, no one in their right mind will check or register a domain with these crooks. Any short term gain they might get will, I believe (and fervently hope), be more than offset by the bad PR ultimately resulting from this.
And then to have the cheek to issue a press release claiming they're doing it for their customers' benefit is just laughable. It's insulting that they think anyone would be stupid enough to fall for that bollocks! When they'll sell the domain they've hijacked to absolutely anyone, how are they protecting the person who searched in the first place?
Since squatting is a real problem and domain names are a publicly-funded scarce resource, the laws should require repeat domain name holders to pay f^n where f is the usual fee of $3 or so, and n is the number of domain they are holding. This would ensure that domain names are democratic - that is available for the benefit of many people.
Given these recent outrageous and blatant violations by registrars, and the indifference of ICANN, this should be a perfect time to resurrect the idea of an alternate system of root DNS servers.
.com, .net domain name space would probably be filled up with spam junk (if they are not saturated with crap already). Given the increasing importance of the Internet infrastructure these days, it's outrageous to think that the basic infrastructure of the Internet is held hostage by a small group of greedy corporate bastards. Remember the last time Verisign tried to redirect all non-existent .com/.net requests to their own portal site? They are willing to screw up anything as long as they can get away with it (and money).
.com and .net, but they set the example. How long would it be for country TLDs to follow the corporate footsteps of Verisign, Network Solutions and co?
If nothing is done to address the problems, the
I understand that the worst TLDs in question are
I think it should be most apt to start meaningful discussion here on Slashdot, where there are enough people who have the expertise and skills --- and interest and passion, to pull this one off.
I have looked around a bit regarding projects such as AlterNIC, OpenNIC, OpenRSC, etc. But all those projects are dead or at the very least in deep hibernation. I have a feeling that the projects aren't really meant to be serious, rather they are hobbyist projects/social experiments that even the founders couldn't care less about.
Does nobody care at all?
That being said, I personally don't have any concrete proposals. But given the enthusiastic response of Slashdot readers (there are 600+ comments here), I believe we can gather enough personnel and expertise to give the old idea a new try. Interested parties might want to post a reply here, or in my Journal.
Any takers?
[Oh and moderators, you might actually want to mod this one up...]
Don't quote me on this.
to check if a domain is registered. *ANY*one's whois. use dig or nslookup instead.
Several years ago a friend of mine and myself were halfway joking about starting our own software company. The name of my system at that point was 'cyanide'... so I just curiously checked 'cyanidesoftware.com', and it was available. The next day, however, NSI had registered it (I checked the whois) and was selling it for about $5,000. I was disgusted with them at that point, and have been ever since.
And they said zombies weren't real!
"whois microsoft-suckers.com" will reveal...
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
somebody is full of shit. I tried running through a bogus domain name more than two hours ago. Added the .com, .net, and .org variants to my order, did everything but log in to process the order, then closed the tab with the NetSol page loaded. Went over to godaddy.com repeatedly since then, and the domain name in question still shows as available.
Personally, I see this as little more than an extended "shopping cart". While I'm not a fan of NetSol allowing someone to poach items from my cart for a price, they are a money-making enterprise. Since I've already expressed an interest in a domain name by starting the ordering process, I've opened up the competitive can of worms. However, it does raise (!beg) the question of what happens when I return and later want to purchase the name, i.e., how do I prove that I'm the same person whose actions prompted them to put the hold on the name, so that I'm not competing against myself?
All in all, it looks like many plans I've seen come out of Marketing departments that didn't bring sufficient understanding of technical issues to the table -- well intentioned, horribly executed.
you really expect me to be able to express my opinion of what's so fucked up in this world in 120 characters or less?
I can also confirm this. If I search for a random domain availability at Network Solutions, then search the same domain again from another registrar, that domain shows up as unavailable within seconds or minutes.
We have been listening to comments here as well as those on other sites regarding our customer protection measure. Throughout the launch of this effort we have made, and continue to make, improvements to our protection measure. Here is an update on some of the improvements we are implementing in the near term: 1) We have changed the current webpage to which reserved domain names resolve to a general under construction page. Additionally, all new reserved names after tonight will not resolve to any page at all. 2) This week, we will be making enhancements that will address the concerns related to disclosure of zone file and DNS server information of the reserved names. This should address some of the concerns recently raised. 3) Very soon we will remove our customer protection measure from our WHOIS search page, so that no domains searched on this page will be reserved. We will continue to reserve, however, domains searched from our homepage.
Social Media Swami | Network Solutions | http://blog.networksolutions.com
In my blog posting, I wrote about possible shenanigans at Network Solutions, one of the original domain name registrars. The original blurb at Slashdot.org said Network Solutions was buying up domains when a user searched for them at NSI's web site. So, I tried a little experiment. I moseyed on over to Network Solutions, searched for "flexipassenger.com" - a totally made up on the spot dot.com name. Lo and behold, it was available. In the time it took me to make my blog entry, then sashay over to GoDaddy.com, I noted that, as of GoDaddy's service, "flexipassenger.com" was no longer available! That was no longer than 10 minutes. Shazzam! Now I'm on Slashdot.org to add my $0.02 worth to the discussion. This could be the beginnings of a "Blogstorm," so watch Network Solutions' fortunes over the next day or two. And I visited the NSI "response" page, and read the attendant comments, and I'm not buying Network Solutions' version.
There comes a time in the life of every project when it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and begin production.
You can totally slander anyone in a domain name and make NS the culprit. Let's build a domain name that slanders. Start with the name of any famous person or organization, add on a bizzare form of lovemaking, and then add on your least favorite animal. Look it up on the WHOIS at network solutions. Now look the same name up on the WHOIS from any other domain registrar. Bingo, Network Solutions has just registered it. Punch your new domain name into your browser and anyone can look it up as a coming soon site. Thanks for doing our dirty work for us, Network Solutions! Now I can slander at will and you get blamed for it.
I started with this just to prove they were doing it:
http://we-really-do-steal-every-domain-you-search-at-network-solutions.com/
Then I started having fun:
http://thomas-jefferson-tongue-kisses-alpacas.com/
Ok, then it started getting strange:
http://george-washington-french-kisses-poodles.com/
Then I thought, what's next? Threats, extortion, treason, terrorism, beastiality? What illegal forms of speech can't be done in a domain name? Can I combine them all in one domain name? Hmmm.
http://sexy-terroristic-sheep-are-coming-unless-you-tell-state-secrets.com/
The limit on domain name size seems to be 64 characters. Try it yourself, it's fun. Slander your boss and get away with it! Confess to crimes you didn't commit! Claim you are the love child of someone famous! Have a blast!
If you think that NSI hoarding domain names is appalling, you'd be amazed what else they are capable of . Network Solutions would sell you mom for 34.99 if they had the chance! And then when you call them to ask why they scammed you, they simply will pretend they don't know you. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. We made our commission off of you, now stop calling us! It's also entertaining how the telemarketers and operators will talk trash on their competitors and are REQUIRED to try to sell something to ANYONE who calls no matter the topic of the call. So, if you call up and inquire about a service that is not working, they will gladly apologize and submit a ticket but in the same breath offer to sell you private registration on all of your domain names for 10$/domain claiming that it protects you from "Identity Theft". Hey, the scams go on and on. Don't be surprised at what the "AOL" of domain registration and web hosting will try to do next!
[old fart mode on]
/. is acceptable)
You youngsters think you got it figured out?
Here's how you you attack an infrastructure without all that "high tech" bullshit
Prerequisite: Coordinate with lots of people (using
try {
1) Find out the customer support number.
2) Set aside a couple of hours, get comfortable with a phone and a good book (or in front of the TV).
3) Dial the number in step #1
4) Read the book (or watch TV) while on hold.
5) When you get a person, ask their full name, then keep them on the line for a while complaining about the issue.
6) Ask to be transferred to a supervisor. Insist on it. Be polite but firm. Use phrases like "I am sorry but this is just not acceptable" and "Mr/Ms $full_name, are you refusing my legitimate request to escalate the issue?". Do not let the algorithm terminate at this point.
7) Repeat step #4 while on hold for supervisor.
8) When you get the next person, get their full name, then complain to them. Keep complaining even if they promise a solution. Keep them on the line as long as possible. Try to not let the algorithm terminate at this point.
9) Every once in a while inquire about the possibility of escalating your call even higher.
10) If they agree to escalate, repeat from step #7.
} catch {
10) If you were cut off, call again to complain about $full_name being rude to you and hanging up on you. Use the same tactics to waste their time and "escalate" as high as you can get.
11) If by some fluke you seem to reach somebody in the corporate structure, engage them in *polite* conversation regarding the unethical behavior of their company. Mention that you are typing a letter to your representative / the FCC / the local paper as you speak.
}
12) Repeat from step #1 until it's no longer fun.
13) Post about your experience to several fora, encourage others to play too.
14) Take a break.
15) GOTO #1 (nuts to you, Dijkstra!)
WSJ writer Chris Rhoades has a nice summary article in the Jan15 online edition: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120035979165090009.html (free trial sub required for full article) In the article, Rhoades reports a telling statement from NSI about a change they've made in reaction to criticism of their name-seizing scam. NSI says that it will make sure names held in reserve won't be made public, a revelation that completely unhinges NSI's argument for "protection". If nobody can detect domain names searched through NSI (thanks to NSI's curious "NOW they won't be made public" fix), then searched names will be completely safe without holding. If, however, someone can detect domain names searched through NSI, then names run the same risk of front-running whether held or not, since NSI will cheerfully sell the name to anyone.