September 10th, 2004
First spammers. Now slammers? Registrar says new ICANN rules makes domains easier to hijack
Network Solutions is advising its clients that a rule change at ICANN will leave domain names open to fraudulent transfers. In an e-mail sent to its clients, the domain registrar says the new policy is reminiscent of the days that shady long distance providers could switch a household’s long distance service by calling a phone number and simply hanging up or "slamming" the phone. Here’s the e-mail:
Dear Valued Network Solutions Customer:
ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has changed the domain name transfer policy for all accredited domain name service providers. We are concerned that this policy change puts your domain name at greater risk for being "slammed" (fraudulently transferred). The prior policy allowed you to expressly approve a transfer request with your current domain name service provider before any transfer would occur. The new policy, however, eliminates this express approval safeguard, removing an additional protection against unauthorized transfer requests.
To further enhance the security of the domain names you have registered with Network Solutions and to protect you against unauthorized or fraudulent transfers, we will activate our free Domain Protect service for all of your domain names beginning October 18, 2004.
Our Domain Protect feature blocks domain name transfers until you, or your designated contact, turn the feature "Off." This step allows you to control the "transferability" of your domain names, and provides protection against "domain hijackers."
If you have turned Domain Protect "Off" in the past, we will reactivate this feature by October 31, 2004. Domain Protect is quick and easy to manage through your Network Solutions account. Simply login and click on the domain name you want to change. On the Domain Details page, you can turn Domain Protect "On" or "Off."
If you have concerns about this transfer policy change, you can contact ICANN directly at icann@icann.org.
Sincerely,
Network Solutions Customer Support
