Monthly Archives: March 2020

In an email to customers on Wednesday, Namecheap said it is actively blocking domain registrations that include certain words related to the current pandemic, including “coronavirus”, “covid” and “vaccine.”

Words are blocked in the domain finder, Namecheap CEO said, preventing the online purchase of URL strings containing them, the company emailed users of its registration tool.

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A quick search of the Namecheap site found some URL options using the word “coronavirus,” including coronavirus.world, priced at $ 97,000. The URL covidvaccine.dev was also available for $ 12.88 per year, and covid19cure.vip could be picked up for the bargain price of $ 3.99.

Namecheap works with authorities to remove fraudulent websites associated with pandemic

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However, clicking to add the URLs to a shopping cart to verify brings up a window stating that “the domain contains restricted phrases and cannot be self-registered”.

Namecheap is just a domain registrar that people can use to locate URLs they want to buy – the name of a site followed, typically, by a .com or .org. The process is extremely simple: you type the word, or more likely a string of words, into a search engine to find what’s still available (nothing with .com unless you’re creative) and the price you’re going to pay.

There are already sites online that serve content that is not considered accurate when it comes to the novel coronavirus. In this regard, Namecheap told its users that the company “is actively working with authorities to both prevent and proactively remove any fraudulent or abusive domain or website related to COVID19,” wrote Namecheap CEO Richard Kirkendall, in his email to clients.

The company has left the door open for people who believe they have a “legitimate use” to register a URL with words, like coronavirus, that relate to the current pandemic. In these cases, they have asked people to contact the Namecheap support team, who will review the request and then “manually register it for you”, if approved.

Registering a .gov domain is about to get much more difficult as the U.S. government will soon begin requiring notarized signatures as part of the registration process starting March 10.

The reason behind this is to prevent wire and mail fraud that could lead to .gov domains, which are generally considered secure because they are registered by government agencies, from being registered by organizations or individuals not. authorized.

The US General Services Administration (GSA) oversees the DotGov program that operates the .gov top-level domain (TLD) and makes these domains available to government organizations in the United States.

In an update to its website, DotGov explains why it will soon require notarized signatures to register a .gov domain, which reads:

“As of March 10, 2020, the DotGov program will begin requiring notarized signatures on all letters of authorization when submitting a request for a new .gov domain. This is a necessary security enhancement to prevent mail and wire fraud through signature forgery when obtaining a .gov domain. This step will help maintain the integrity of .gov and ensure that .gov domains continue to be issued only to official U.S. government organizations.

Registering .gov domains

In order to apply for a .gov domain, government organizations must prepare and send an authorization letter as well as complete an online form after receiving their .gov registrar account.

The authorization letter must use official letterhead and must also include a signature from an organization’s authorization authority in accordance with the DotGov program. However, as of March 10, this letter will need to be accompanied by a notarized signature to prevent organizations or individuals from registering a .gov domain without proper authorization.

The change in the way .gov domains are registered comes after independent security researcher Brian Krebs revealed in November last year that almost anyone can register a .gov domain using bogus information on the letter. authorization. However, if someone is caught doing so, they could be charged with wire or mail fraud.

The .gov domain was first created in 1985, and over the past 35 years, users have linked it to legitimate government websites, which is why DotGov’s new requirements make a lot of sense to help maintain the security of .gov sites.

Via BleepingComputer

The U.S. government will begin requiring notarized signatures as part of the .gov domain registration process from March 10, 2020, to prevent wire and mail fraud that could lead to such domains being registered by individuals. unauthorized organizations or individuals.

The United States General Services Administration (GSA) oversees the DotGov program that operates the .GOV top-level domain (TLD) and makes these domains available to United States-based government organizations, from local municipalities to federal agencies.

Strengthening security for .gov domain registration

“As of March 10, 2020, the DotGov program will begin requiring notarized signatures on all letters of authorization when submitting a request for a new .gov domain,” said the DotGov registrar.

“This is a necessary security enhancement to prevent signature forgery mail and wire fraud when obtaining a .gov domain.

“This step will help maintain the integrity of .gov and ensure that .gov domains continue to be issued only to official US government organizations.”

To apply for a .gov domain name, government organizations must prepare and send an authorization letter and fill out an online form after receiving a .gov registrar account.

This letter must use official letterhead and must include a signature from the authorizing authority of the requesting organization, explains the DotGov program site.

This is the letter that must be accompanied by a notarized signature as of March 10, 2020, to prevent future attempts to register .gov domains without authorization.

Anyone can register a .gov domain

The GSA claims that .gov domains are granted exclusively to U.S. government organizations and that they confer legitimacy on government websites and online tools, ensuring customers’ trust that the content is from an official source.

However, as freelance investigative journalist Brian Krebs previously reported, until the new rules are enacted, almost anyone can register a .gov domain using false information on the required authorization letter. by the GSA, although unlawfully and with the risk of being charged with wire or mail. fraud in case of capture.

A researcher confirmed this was possible by saying he was able to register a .gov in November 2019 using a fake Google Voice number and Gmail address, along with official letterhead taken from documents from an organization legitimate government.

“I never said it was legal, just that it was easy,” the researcher said. “I assumed there would be at least one identity check. The most thorough research I had to do was the Yellow Pages records.”

When contacted, the GSA said it “had already put in place additional fraud prevention controls”, without detailing the measures taken to prevent future attempts to fraudulently register .gov.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has shared plans to take over management of the .gov TLD from the GSA since “the .gov top-level domain (TLD) is a critical infrastructure for thousands of federal, state and federal government organizations. and local across the country. “

A bipartisan bill known as the “DOTGOV Act of 2019” and sponsored by US Senator Gary Peters was introduced in the Senate on October 30, 2019, seeking, among other things, to give the CISA the power to manage the TLD .gov after assuming governance. of the GSA.