Nominet Supports the Launch of Cyber Streetwise

[news release] We have always been committed at Nominet to contributing to make the UK internet as safe, secure and as trusted as possible, while also playing our part in the fight against cyber crime.

I am pleased therefore to support the Government’s new campaign Cyber Streetwise which aims to educate people on how to protect themselves while shopping or banking online, by offering practical guidance on avoiding common risks.

As a member of the Government’s Cyber Crime Reduction Partnership, I recognise the importance of raising awareness of the risks and enabling businesses and users to better protect themselves.

As the Cyber Streetwise campaign highlights, there is much that we can all do to adopt the same precautions online as we would naturally take in the real world. Indeed, Government research suggests that while 94% of us think it’s our responsibility to ensure we have safe internet experience, only 44% of us always install internet security software on our new gadgets and only 37% download the updates or patches when prompted.

The campaign is focused on five key actions that we can all take to keep ourselves and others safe from cyber crime by:

using strong, memorable passwords
installing anti-virus software on new devices
checking privacy settings on social media
checking online retail sites are secure when shopping online
downloading software and application patches when prompted

Those of us in the internet industry also have a role to play. For example, our education and advice site, www.knowthenet.org.uk offers some helpful tools to test your knowledge on everything from avoiding scams to staying legal online.

With more than 11 million internet-enabled devices received as Christmas gifts, ensuring that users can keep themselves safe online is crucial in building a healthy UK digital economy that we can all benefit from. So, if you are still using ‘password’, ‘123456’ or even ‘welcome’ as your password, that would be a good place to start becoming more cyber streetwise!

This Nominet news release was sourced from:
www.nominet.org.uk/news/blog/nominet-supports-launch-cyber-streetwise

Consumer alert: WHOIS verification phishing scams hit Australia by George Pongas, AusRegistry

A New Year and another domain name related scam is doing the rounds in an attempt to deceive registrants into providing account details.

While this current scam does not specifically target .au domain name registrants, I encourage you to be vigilant and mindful of these tactics.

Under requirements spelled out by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), domain name Registrars for .com, .net, .org and other generic TLDs must verify registrant contact information on a regular basis.

The reason for this is to reduce false or missing contact information in the WHOIS database, which is a public record of domain name registration details.

Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed hackers launch phishing campaigns recently where they use sophisticated social engineering tactics in order to steal contact information and maliciously tamper with the domain name records in the guise of these official WHOIS verification notifications.

If you have registered .com domain names, please be aware of this scam and contact your Registrar if you are in doubt about what to do.

Because many .au domain name registrants will also have .com registrations, we encourage you to be vigilant. Phishing scams such as this are typically aimed at mass deception and the perpetrators cast a wide net in order to catch as many unsuspecting people as possible. This means Australian .com registrants may be targeted.

Importantly, WHOIS verification is not a requirement in .au domain name policy and if you ever receive an email requesting this you can automatically delete and disregard it.

Furthermore, services such as .auLOCKDOWN actually add another layer of protection to your .au domain name to ensure scams like this can never impact the integrity of your domain name assets.

Even if your contact details are stolen, a Registry lock service like .auLOCKDOWN would mean that only authorised individuals with pre-authenticated keys can make changes to your domain name records, reducing the risks scams like this pose.

Whether you have a .com or a .au, you should consider a Registry lock service like .auLOCKDOWN which can provide much needed reassurance. Contact your .au Registrar today and ask about adding .auLOCKDOWN to your domain name.

This article by George Pongas, General Manager, AusRegistry, was sourced with permission from: www.ausregistry.com.au/news/consumer-alert-whois-verification-phishing-scams-hit-australia

Yahoo Wins YMail.com.co Domain Name in Arbitration

An arbitrator with the National Arbitration Forum has recently awarded the domain name YMail.com.co to Yahoo.The company submitted the complaint on Decemerb 3, 2013.

Yahoo owns many trademark registrations for the “Yahoo” mark all over the world.Therefore,it is more than obvious that the disputed domain name is confusingly similar with its trademark .Moreover,the company contended in the complaint that the respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name and that the respondent registered and used the disputed domain name in bad faith .

One of the key points of this complaint was when Yahoo managed to demonstrate that the respondent registered and used the disputed domain name in bad faith,by trying to direct Internet users to a webpage offering for sale counterfeit products .

Yahoo managed to establish all three elements required under the ICANN Policy and the Panel ordered the disputed domain name to be transferred from the respondent to the complainant.

You can read the decision here .

.Me Registry : .ME Loyalty Program Announces Grand Prize : Trip to South by Southwest 2014

The .ME Registry, the company behind .ME, recently launched the .ME Loyalty Program to give back to its community of bloggers and startups.

You can read the press release after the jump :

“The .ME Registry, operator of the most personal domain extension available, recently launched the .ME Loyalty Program to give back to its community of bloggers and startups. To replicate this initiative in the offline world, the .ME decided to award two lucky participants of the .ME Loyalty Program with a trip to South by Southwest Interactive, to be held in Austin, TX on March 7-11, 2014. The winners are selected at random from a pool of participants, and the prize package includes an entry badge for SXSW Interactive, accommodation during the entire Interactive period and a $500 AMEX gift card for travel and entertainment.

Although the .ME Loyalty Program is primarily developed to connect online influencers with companies that use .ME domains, the platform is open to anyone willing to sign up. After registering at the Program homepage, users may perform fun actions such as sharing information about the program or using the #domainME hashtag on social media to collect points and redeem rewards. Rewards include subscription to products and services offered by .ME startups, .ME branded t-shirts and cups, as well as domain name and web hosting packages.

“With the launch of the Loyalty Program, the .ME Registry is not only trying to give back to its community, but also to go a step further and create stronger ties between creative people who think alike and up-and-coming companies that have a disruptive service to offer,” explains Predrag Lesic, the CEO of the .ME Registry. “We sincerely believe that connecting bloggers and startups will make the Internet more personal, and this is exactly why we decided to give away trips to South by Southwest to our luckiest supporters.”

The .ME extension was launched in 2008 and has since become the domain name of choice for bloggers who want to make their first name, last name or even a nickname a personal brand. The extension also rose to popularity among startups that decide to make their product memorable by sending a catchy call-to-action message directly in their website URL. The perfect examples of such products are featured in the .ME Loyalty Program rewards section, including Web.ME and Outgrow.ME.

For more information about the platform and program, follow our social media channels and keep an eye out for announcements at FB.ME/domainME, as well as on the #domainME hashtag.

To learn more about the .ME Registry, the Premium Domain Program and many clever uses of the .ME domain go to http://www.Domain.ME.”

ICANN Releases New gTLD Contracting Statistics

Below are the key Contracting statistics, as of 17 January 2014:

989 applicants have been invited to Contracting
382 applicants have responded to their Contracting Information Request invitation
301 contracts have been sent out for signature
250 Registry Agreements have been signed
- All signed Registry Agreements can be viewed here: www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/registries