Industry News Summary – Week 48

Recent domain name news from the last week:

ICANN condemns registry DNS redirection

The group that oversees the internet’s address system is taking a hard stance against domain name registries that redirect internet users to third-party sites when a non-existent URL is typed.  Earlier this week, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said the practice – known as NXDOMAIN substitution and DNS redirection – threatens net stability and deteriorates user experience.  Read full article here

Mandelson to get Nominet reform powers

Ministers have revealed new legislation that will allow the government to take over and reform Nominet, following a boardroom battle over the .uk registry’s future.  The reserve powers are included in the Digital Economy Bill, published by Lord Mandelson’s Department for Business.  Officials said they believed it is unlikely the powers will be used, but they were necessary to ensure Nominet took account of the interests of wider public and business interests, and not just those of its members.  Read full article here

ISACA Warns Increase in Web Site Characters Could Lead to More Phishing Attacks

A recent announcement by ICANN regarding international domain names poses some security risks, according to ISACA, a global association of IT security, audit and governance professionals.

“While we understand the interest in expanding the characters offered in other languages, we are concerned that an increase in web site characters could lead to greater security risks and consumer fraud,” said Peter Wood, member of ISACA’s Conference Committee and founder of First Base Technologies.  Read full article here