Anyone noticed the Sitefinder redirects?
Wednesday, September 24, 2003 by eieio | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Lately I noticed if I mistyped a URL into my browser, I wound up on a page offering to search what what I was looking for. At first I thought my browser had been hijacked, but apparently, it is Verisign redirecting most DNS errors to their website.
Here's a link to a story that explains it in detail
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0922verisign.html?page=1
Is that a good thing or not?
[Message Edited]
Here's a link to a story that explains it in detail
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0922verisign.html?page=1
Is that a good thing or not?
[Message Edited]
Koasati
Reply #4 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 8:39 AM
Reply #4 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 8:39 AM
Yeah, I got one last night........... didn't think anything of it, as one wrong page is as good as another, I reckon ......... 
ImStein
Reply #6 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 1:44 PM
Reply #6 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 1:44 PM
i find that even when I copy and paste, I sometimes get these pages.... usually because someone forgot to pay the rent. 
sig101
Reply #8 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 3:49 PM
Reply #8 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 3:49 PM
I've blocked the two sitefinder IP's in my firewall so their redirections won't work. While the sky may not be falling, these guys have been entrusted with the .com and .site domains by the gov't and for the purpose of serving the public interest; not so they can just tinker with DNS resolutions whenever they dang well please to drive traffic to their site and increase their advertising revenues (and peddle their own services).
In effect, instead of sending spam to millions of people, they bring the millions of people to their spam. >
[Message Edited]
In effect, instead of sending spam to millions of people, they bring the millions of people to their spam. >
[Message Edited]
Orion
Reply #9 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:27 PM
Reply #9 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:27 PM
I'm with sig. We've blocked the IP's outbound from our PIX. I've had do deal with verisign several times over the years and my experience has not been a pleasant one...nor has anyone I know that's had to deal with them. Their entire business model is basically based on the fact that they're crooks that pray on un-educated and un-informed users.
Anyone that tells ICANN to shove it like they have...
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Anyone that tells ICANN to shove it like they have...
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Hus
Reply #10 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:36 PM
Reply #10 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:36 PM
They shouldn't be allowed to do that. It's unfair to competition. Verisign has a much greater and wider client-base that any other DNS service. It's like Microsoft bundling IE with Windows, the government took MS to court over that...how is this ok?
kona0197
Reply #11 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:42 PM
Reply #11 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:42 PM
I do not get what the problem is because I do not understand it.
Orion
Reply #12 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:50 PM
Reply #12 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:50 PM
Click on this link of a domain or site that does not exist: http://www.sd93kisudif.net
Instead of a page or site not found message or error, you get a verisign sitefinder page. They are redirecting all non-existant .net and .com domains to their own servers.
There are many security and ethical issues at work here. One of the first things that into my head is all the mail servers that are set up to not allow delivery from non-exsistant domains will now allow messages they shouldn't because ANY string in the .com and .net domains will now resolve...BAD idea.
[Message Edited]
Instead of a page or site not found message or error, you get a verisign sitefinder page. They are redirecting all non-existant .net and .com domains to their own servers.
There are many security and ethical issues at work here. One of the first things that into my head is all the mail servers that are set up to not allow delivery from non-exsistant domains will now allow messages they shouldn't because ANY string in the .com and .net domains will now resolve...BAD idea.
[Message Edited]
Koasati
Reply #13 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:59 PM
I get it now....... I read the article earlier this morning, and it didn't sink in. Yep, bad idea!
Reply #13 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:59 PM
| There are many security and moral issues at work here. One of the first thing that into my head is all the mail servers that are set up to not allow delivery from non-exsistant domains will now allow messages they shouldn't because ANY string in the .com and .net domains will now resolve...BAD idea. |
Hus
Reply #14 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:59 PM
Reply #14 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:59 PM
Greed is one of the seven deadly sins...yes? Gotta love the corporate world.
kona0197
Reply #15 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 5:01 PM
Reply #15 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 5:01 PM
ok I get it...complete BS if you ask me. Used to be that I was redirected to MSN or Google.
Sooner or later VeriSign will be sued.
Sooner or later VeriSign will be sued.
sig101
Reply #16 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 6:11 PM
Reply #16 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 6:11 PM
I believe they already are being sued. Forgot who by but probably someone else knows...someone should sue 'em and so far as I'm aware the gov't watchdogs (ICANN) who supposedly have jurisdiction over VeriSign have only requested/suggested that VeriSign stop this practice while it is being looked into. And obviously VeriSign hasn't Wow, if they keep it up, ICANN might have to resort to.....harsh language. 
That'll teach VeriSign a lesson. How lame. If VeriSign was caught distributing copyrighted Brittany songs, RIMA would have them shut down, cut off and sued within a week. But instead they screw up a portion of DNS resolution and routing for the entire flippin Internet and the gov't goes .....well, uh, gee guys, could you please just temporarily kind of stop until we figure out what we're going to decide to think about this? Please?
Pathetic.
[Message Edited]
That'll teach VeriSign a lesson.
How lame. If VeriSign was caught distributing copyrighted Brittany songs, RIMA would have them shut down, cut off and sued within a week. But instead they screw up a portion of DNS resolution and routing for the entire flippin Internet and the gov't goes .....well, uh, gee guys, could you please just temporarily kind of stop until we figure out what we're going to decide to think about this? Please? Pathetic.
[Message Edited]
joetheblow
Reply #17 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 9:48 PM
Reply #17 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 9:48 PM
I know Go Daddy is sueing them.
This is one of those decisions that a company makes that wasn't clearly thought out. I don't think they looked at the 'uncertainty' part of thier decision too well.
Although... I wonder how it will be stopped? At least when MSN was doing that it was from the browser (client side) and not the actual net from what I recall.
This is one of those decisions that a company makes that wasn't clearly thought out. I don't think they looked at the 'uncertainty' part of thier decision too well.
Although... I wonder how it will be stopped? At least when MSN was doing that it was from the browser (client side) and not the actual net from what I recall.
joetheblow
Reply #18 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 9:48 PM
Reply #18 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 9:48 PM
hey, how do you set your firewall to stop this? Block verisign's website? I don't quite understand that part. If your typing in the unknown url doesn't that direct itself to its site anyway?
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[Message Edited]
sig101
Reply #19 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 10:12 PM
Reply #19 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 10:12 PM
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,7988289~root=security,1~mode=flat
That's if you can block certain IP's in your firewall. Some firewalls have that capability, some may not.
That's if you can block certain IP's in your firewall. Some firewalls have that capability, some may not.
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Reply #1 Wednesday, September 24, 2003 7:10 AM