[62362] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: VeriSign responds to complaints via press release
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Haesu)
Wed Sep 17 20:04:17 2003
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 20:01:37 -0400
From: Haesu <haesu@towardex.com>
To: Jeff Wasilko <jeffw@smoe.org>, nanog@merit.edu
In-Reply-To: <20030917234044.GE3602@jane.smoe.org>
Errors-To: owner-nanog-outgoing@merit.edu
omg. So VeriSign is requiring all network operations, or the whole internet to pretty much redo their network per their "Recommendations" to allow sitefinder?
That is an aggravated assault.
-hc
--
Sincerely,
Haesu C.
TowardEX Technologies, Inc.
WWW: http://www.towardex.com
E-mail: haesu@towardex.com
Cell: (978) 394-2867
On Wed, Sep 17, 2003 at 07:40:56PM -0400, Jeff Wasilko wrote:
>
> ----- Forwarded message from Dave Farber <dave@farber.net> -----
>
> If this was Microsoft issuing a statement like this we would really go
> through the roof. Since when in the Internet do we talk with technical
> people AFTER the fact and AFTER the disruption. In other words BULL. Can
> we sue them for email disruption?
>
> Dave
>
>
> >Delivered-To: dfarber+@ux13.sp.cs.cmu.edu
> >Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 19:27:49 -0400
> >From: "Wingfield, Nick" <Nick.Wingfield@wsj.com>
> >Subject: VeriSign update
> >To: "'dave@farber.net'" <dave@farber.net>
> >
> >
> >Dave,
> >In case it's of interest to IP...
> >Nick
> >
> >
> >=WSJ: VeriSign Responds To Complaints About New Service
> >
> >Dow Jones News Service via Dow Jones
> >
> >
> > By Nick Wingfield
> > Of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
> >
> >
> > SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)--VeriSign Inc. (VRSN), responding to an
> >outpouring
> >of complaints about a new service that exploits the typing errors users make
> >when surfing the Web, said it plans to work with technologists to remedy
> >disruptions the service has caused to some Internet applications like
> >e-mail.
> >
> > At the same time, the VeriSign service triggered a huge increase in the
> >amount
> >of traffic flowing to the Mountain View, Calif., company's Web site, a
> >portion
> >of which may be the result of a hacker attack against the company, VeriSign
> >said.
> >
> > (This story and related background material are available on the Journal's
> >Web
> >site, WSJ.com.)
> >
> > VeriSign on Monday introduced the service, dubbed Site Finder, which
> >steers
> >users who attempt to reach nonexistent Web addresses to a site operated by
> >VeriSign. The company is able to take control of the traffic because it
> >operates
> >the master list, or "registry," for all Internet addresses ending in ".com"
> >and
> >".net."
> >
> > VeriSign said it designed Site Finder as a navigational aid for Web users.
> >It
> >also receives revenue from the additional traffic through relationships with
> >Overture Services Inc. (OVER) and Yahoo Inc.'s (YHOO) Inktomi, which guide
> >users
> >to Web sites.
> >
> > The new VeriSign service infuriated many network operators, though, who
> >say it
> >has disrupted the functioning of e-mail and other applications. Among the
> >complaints about the VeriSign service is that it hurts the ability of
> >Internet
> >service providers to block "spam" sent from Internet addresses that don't
> >exist
> >- a common technique normally used to stem the flow of junk e-mail. Internet
> >service providers and software groups have developed patches that prevent
> >the
> >VeriSign service from working on their networks.
> >
> > In a statement Tuesday, VeriSign said it would release technical
> >information
> >on its Web site that would help network operators adapt their software so
> >they
> >could block unwanted e-mail again. "In the course of implementation, various
> >users asked us to modify the service to accommodate anti-spam applications,"
> >the
> >company said in the statement. "Because VeriSign strongly supports
> >appropriate
> >technical measures designed to reduce unwanted spam, we are reaching out to
> >users and the community to make appropriate adjustments to the service."
> >
> > "We remain committed to ensuring that Site Finder improves Web navigation
> >and
> >the user experience," VeriSign added.
> >
> > Despite the controversy, VeriSign's efforts to nab control of typo-prone
> >Internet users appears to be having a sizable impact on the volumes of users
> >visiting its site. Traffic to the company's Web site on Tuesday skyrocketed
> >to
> >about 1.3 million visitors from an average of about 100,000 visitors on the
> >previous four Tuesdays, according to measurement firm ComScore Networks Inc.
> >
> >
> > Some of that may have been due to malicious - not typo - traffic. A
> >VeriSign
> >spokesman said the company experienced a "denial of service" attack on its
> >Web
> >site on Tuesday, in which hackers use computers to bombard Web sites with
> >traffic in hopes of overloading them. The attack appeared to subside by
> >Wednesday, the spokesman said. A ComScore spokesman said it's "very
> >unlikely"
> >that a denial of service attack on VeriSign had a significant impact on the
> >ComScore traffic figures.
