Security

[Beatzones]

Hi,

I read a post not so long ago then followed up with some research - it was about domain theft..

I don't really get this, how can you steal something which is clearly
documented?
I'm sure it always happens and has a deep history with it happening, but?
Or is this because the bodies who control this are large slow movers and can't find the paper work, if any?

Considering this is an AU forum - How safe are .com.au's from theft?
To me it would be crazy if you could have your au snatched as you need and ABN, TM, etc, etc.

Does it happen and has it happened?

Cheers.

 

[johno69]

you need and ABN

Every man and his dog has an ABN these days.

I received an email from my registrar the other day saying someone had requested a COR of a domain I have.

I didn't authorise it and had never discussed the domain with anyone. Had I not read the email properly and clicked the link to read more on the registrar site the domain would be on its merry way.

So I imagine theft could happen. But only if you are not careful.

 

[Beatzones]

The nerve of some..
I guess tombs have been raided for centuries so this is just a progression.

My next question is if someone is unfortunate enough to have this happen can you get it back easily?
Has this happen to anyone here?
I am only referring to .com.au.

 

[Cooper Mills DomainLawyer]

In .au transfers between registrars take 48 hours, so there is an opportunity to contact a registrar or auDA to have a transfer stopped within this period. Domain theft hasn't really been an issue in .au.

 

[snoopy]

Anything can be potentially stolen really, just need someone to get control & sell it before the owner realises. Haven't heard of it for .com.au, probably mainly related to low values and all the red tape which would make theft more difficult.

 

[Drop.com.au]

Haven't heard of it for .com.au, probably mainly related to low values...

Cue DavidL in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

 

[AnthonyP]

I don't really get this, how can you steal something which is clearly
documented?

Theft of .com domains has nothing to do with the value of a .com versus the value of everything else but everything to do with how well documented the ownership is for a .com domain name!

I think it is crucial to understand that the registrant/whois details for .com are stored and controlled by the registrars NOT the registry this is a so called "thin registry" model. There are literally thousands of separate databases of registrant details and it can be hard to figure out who really owns a domain if fraudsters move a domain between registrars.

In .au (and almost every other extension) we have a "thick registry" where the details are all stored at the registry, so there is only one definitive copy of the data and ALL changes are clearly documented and can be rolled back if required by law.

 

[DavidL]

I think it is crucial to understand that the registrant/whois details for .com are stored and controlled by the registrars NOT the registry this is a so called "thin registry" model. There are literally thousands of separate databases of registrant details and it can be hard to figure out who really owns a domain if fraudsters move a domain between registrars.

In .au (and almost every other extension) we have a "thick registry" where the details are all stored at the registry, so there is only one definitive copy of the data and ALL changes are clearly documented and can be rolled back if required by law.

Hmm I didn't know that... interesting

 

[Beatzones]

That was the real!
Exactly what I was looking for.
Cheers for that.

 

[snoopy]

Theft of .com domains has nothing to do with the value of a .com versus the value of everything else but everything to do with how well documented the ownership is for a .com domain name!

People don't decide to steal a domain on the basis of who stores the whois record, it has everything to do with value, which is why one word .com's, 2 letter .com's, 3 letter .com's, anything with obvious value are prime targets.

 

[AnthonyP]

People don't decide to steal a domain on the basis of who stores the whois record, it has everything to do with value, which is why one word .com's, 2 letter .com's, 3 letter .com's, anything with obvious value are prime targets.

A German friend of mine was telling me a story this weekend about how his grandmother owned a house in Berlin which was on the opposite side of wall and during the period after the war, it was "transferred" to the socialist government of the time and then subsequently resold multiple times (ironic for a socialist state) before the wall eventually came down. Once the wall was down she tried to prove ownership of the house but the papers where contradictory due to multiple governments causing confusion and now there where two owners for the house, both of whom seemed to have legitimate rights.

Do really you think the house was in contention because it was extremely valuable?