Elapsed time from hijack to fix -- under 48 hours!

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
> Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 23:31:51 -0400
> From: David Harmon <dmh () tiac net>
> Subject: Elapsed time from hijack to fix -- under 48 hours!
> To: dave () farber net
>
>
> >Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2003 22:31:56 -0400
> >To: undisclosed-recipient:;
> >From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com>
> >Subject: Profits in Missed Exits on Information Highway
>
> [followed by the official announcement...]
>
> > Subject: [Asrg] Verisign: All Your Misspelling Are Belong To Us
> > Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 03:10:52 +0200
> > From: Brad Knowles <brad.knowles () skynet be>
>
> [he's forwarding...]
> > > Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 19:24:29 -0400
> > > From: Matt Larson <mlarson () verisign com>
> > > Subject: Change to .com/.net behavior
> > >
> > > Today VeriSign is adding a wildcard A record to the .com and .net
> > > zones.  The wildcard record in the .net zone was activated from
> > > 10:45AM EDT to 13:30PM EDT.  The wildcard record in the .com zone is
> > > being added now.  We have prepared a white paper describing VeriSign's
>
> [But then...]
>
> > Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 15:58:01 +0200
> > From: "Remco B. Brink" <remco () rc6 org>
> > Subject: Evil VeriSign, patch included
> ...
> > The Internet Software Consortium, a nonprofit that publishes BIND, the 
> > software
> > that runs many of the Net's domain name servers, has just released an 
> > emergency
> > patch [2] to block VeriSign's new Site Finder service.
>
> It seems Verisign forgot that they don't actually rule the Internet!
> Even given the short notice, it took an independent organization,
> without government sponsorship (?) less than 48 hours to release a
> change which will (eventually) kill this uber-typosquatting stunt.
>
> This reminds me of the time back in the late 80s, when Unisys tried
> to make some money from having inherited a patent for an algorithm used
> in GIF image files, which had become popular. Within 48 hours (again) 
> someone had released a modified version of the GIF standard, which avoided 
> the patent. They also provided viewers for the new standard, and utilities 
> for rapid conversion of "legacy" files. Unisys backed down *very* fast!
>
> As a final shot, let me point out that Verisign's trick doesn't affect any 
> existing typosquatters, such as those porn sites that try to put your 
> browser into bondage.  So, mistype an address today, get 
> SiteFinder.  Mistype the same address differently (or later, after a new 
> batch of registrations), and get a sticky porn site.  Hmmm....
>
>         Dave Harmon

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