Verisign: all your typos are belong to us - Page 2

*Randall* · 09-19-2003, 07:19 PM

Netster looks like one of those companies that registers misspelled domains and then directs people to their "search" site. At the very least, people have had their browsers hijacked by them: http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...%3D40%26sa%3DN

Aside from the part about the ISC, all of the stories I've read so far in the media are fixated on these shoving matches between scumbag corporations.

Randall

Andilinks · 09-19-2003, 07:42 PM

In all the surfing I've done over the past few days I have reached quite a few "file not found" pages but only once was I directed to sitefinder.verisign.com.

It was an unpleasant experience because the way it changes the URL to its own makes truncating the original URL and going to the root much more difficult--though ostensibly it would be a bad root if Verisign gets it.

Just my 2 cents from a purely operational pov.

Andi

YFS200 · 09-20-2003, 01:34 AM

404 is not quite the same as not finding a domain/server. You get a 404 when your on a server, but can't find a page. Verisign has no control over that.

But try typing www.broomfondleandmagicthighs42-hhgttg.com
A domain that does not exist. (Yet) It will forward you to Verisign. That is the evil part.

*Wassercrats* · 09-20-2003, 02:02 AM

I clicked http://www.broomfondleandmagicthighs42-hhgttg.com/ but got a "The page cannot be displayed" message. Also, Terra's link no longer works. I'm still wondering what the 15 minute thing was about in the white papers. Do I have to stay on the "The page cannot be displayed" page for 15 minutes before I'm redirected?

Andilinks · 09-20-2003, 02:19 AM

I just clicked it and was redirected to http://sitefinder.verisign.com/ .

But after checking over 11,000 links with Xenu just now, I do find redirects to http://sitefinder.verisign.com/ instead of the usual "no such domain," which does make my link checking a bit more involved but nothing I can't handle.

Even if one is not affected at all such moves by arrogant players should be resisted.

Andi

*Randall* · 09-20-2003, 04:31 AM

When I try YFS200's link, my browser times out just like Wasser's apparently did. So I'm getting neither SiteFinder nor a "host not found" error. Technical difficulties at VeriSign?

Randall

*Jeff* · 09-20-2003, 04:34 AM

I noticed it was working earlier tongight by accident - I find it very annoying I might add.

Now it seems to be timing out for me though when I try to recreate the wildcard redirect to verisign. Maybe VeriSign's web server crashed?

Andilinks · 09-20-2003, 04:37 AM

I just this moment got the sitefinder redirect, maybe the ISP...

Nabil · 09-20-2003, 04:51 AM

According to the information in the previously quoted Slashdot article, only some of the root name servers have the wildcard currently.

This means that sometimes you'll get it, sometimes you won't. How often this fluctuates will depend on how often your ISP is updating its DNS records, as at that point they might end up hitting a different server.

Hope this helps

*JRepici* · 09-22-2003, 11:53 AM

http://www.whois.sc/verisign-dns/petition-sign.html

Not sure of this link's veracity. Someone just sent it to me in the email.

-jr