[NMLUG] OT - Link: Recall Verisign

[dlark at cukk.org (Daniel Lark)]

The problem I had with Sitefinder was that was done without regard to
its possible ramifications. Further it was used as tool to drive
business to Verisign for its domain registration business. That, at
least to me, is quite clearly a conflict of interest.

Network Solutions was a good caretaker for the original DNS back when
.COM, .NET, & .ORG registries were small and limited to the U.S. proper.
My personal feeling is that when the DNS system was opened to other
registrars (GoDaddy, Register.Com, TuCows, etc.), Network Solutions (now
Verisign) lost its positioning. I know of many, many people who have
left VeriSign because of technical (try doing _anything_ over the phone
with them) and cost issues (they are the most expensive registrar).

Jim, you say:

"With regard to security, actually SiteFinder was likely a strongly
pro-security move - it forces people to get nonexistent domain records
out of Sendmail configs ... a huge security hole."

While it is true that domain wildcarding is okay under the RFC and that
you call 'pro-security', does not diminish the fact that it broke many
other things including anti-spam tools, other SMTP servers (which, if I
recall correctly, depend on DNS lookup failures), and cryptographic
tools which depend on DNS go/no go qualification, amongst others.

There were and are better ways of handling this. Here are my
suggestions:

1. ICANN needs to address non-existent domains within a DNS framework
and develop solutions for *ALL* top-level domains. This solution should
be registrar neutral.
2. Possible changes should be discussed with all major affected system
vendors, i.e. the BIND folks, Microsoft, etc.
3. A significant lead time should be allowed. This will allow for
regression and other testing.

The DNS system is much, much too important to be dictated by one vendor.
I am not saying that NetSol be removed from the system, rather I think
that should play nicely with others.

-dan

P.S. DISCLAIMER: I am an ex-SAIC employee who made a lot of money
because of NetSol. I have a lot of warm feelings regarding the way they
used to do business. (Employee stock ownership rocks!!!) I cannot,
however, endorse what the company has become.