Afilias is a sponsor of the 16th Annual Network & Distributed System Security Symposium.

Global Phishing Survey results highlight .INFO anti-abuse success

DUBLIN, IRELAND - 6 November 2008 – Afilias, a global provider of Internet infrastructure services, today announced that a new Global Phishing Survey released by the Anti-Phishing Work Group (APWG) reveals that the .INFO domain, managed and operated by Afilias, is now safer from phishing attacks. Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and financial information by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic transaction.

The Global Phishing Survey shows that, during the first half of 2008, .INFO has the lowest phishing rate and the lowest average attack duration among the Internet's generic top-level domains (gTLDs). The phishing rate is a standard measure of the number of detected phishing web sites for every 10,000 domains and indicates the level of use of a domain name for phishing. Attack duration measures the amount of time a fraudulent website remains online - the longer a phishing site stays online, the higher the ability to steal sensitive information from unsuspecting victims. .INFO's attack durations were near the average among all gTLDs in the second half of 2007, so INFO is now even safer than it was in the past.

This improvement began in January 2008, when Afilias implemented a vigorous anti-phishing program. The study results demonstrate the effectiveness of this program, with the average phishing attack durations in the .INFO domain reduced by almost 50%, ahead of all other gTLDs. Reduced attack durations provide greater protection to consumers and organizations that conduct online commerce, demonstrably reducing financial losses and the many other costs of identity theft.

"The results from the Afilias .INFO anti-phishing effort show that programs implemented by domain registries can effectively fight domain name abuses without outside regulation," said Ram Mohan, Executive Vice President and CTO of Afilias. "The recently implemented .INFO Anti-Abuse Policy further adds to our ability to take effective and measured action to prevent abuse in the .INFO domain."

The Global Phishing Survey analyzes the APWG phishing attack repository and other data sources comprising a comprehensive archive of phishing activity. It reports 47,324 phishing attacks in the first six months of 2008, hosted on 26,678 unique domain names. Phishing took place on domain names in 155 top-level domains (TLDs).

"The Global Phishing Survey demonstrates that criminals are targeting specific top-level domains and their registrars, and change their targets regularly," said Greg Aaron, Director of Key Account Management and Domain Security at Afilias, and a co-author of the study. "Identity theft and fraud are important issues for anyone who goes online, and criminals are using vulnerable top-level domains and registrars to steal identities and money. The .INFO experience indicates that active, self-regulated anti-abuse programs make a real difference in improving the safety of the Internet, and of the domain name space in particular."

You can read the full survey at: www.apwg.org/reports/APWG_GlobalPhishingSurvey1H2008.pdf

About .INFO

.INFO is the most intuitive path to information on the Internet. It was the first unrestricted generic top-level domain (TLD) launched since .COM and today contains over 5 million registered domains and millions of live Web sites. For more information on .INFO please visit www.info.info.

About Afilias

Afilias is a global provider of Internet infrastructure services that connect people to their data. Afilias' reliable, secure, scalable, and globally available technology supports a wide range of applications. Its Internet registry services support domains such as .INFO, .ORG, .aero, .mobi, .asia, as well as many country code domains such as .Me, .IN and others. Afilias also provides services in the RFID market with its Afilias Discovery Service, which enables real-time lookup of event histories across RFID networks.

Attachment	Date	Size
1H2008 APWG Study Global Phishing Survey released by the Anti-Phishing Work Group (APWG) in 2008 that studied the relationships between phishing attacks and top-level domains.	11/08/08 6:38 pm	575.48 KB

Registry Internet Safety Group Formed to Develop Best Practices and Enhance Overall Internet User Security

RESTON, VA - October 17, 2008 - The Registry Internet Safety Group ("RISG") is a global group of responsible Internet related companies whose mission is to work collaboratively to combat Internet identity theft; even though RISG is uniquely Registry focused, it includes both gTLD (global Top Level Domain) and ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) members. RISG is intended to complement and not duplicate existing Internet security efforts. Other RISG members include domain registrars, security vendors and law enforcement agencies. RISG members and invited experts work together towards improving Internet security, develop domain name industry best practices and share data to improve overall Internet user security.

".ORG, the Public Interest Registry, initiated RISG to encourage industry collaboration and proactively fight Internet identity theft," says Alexa Raad, CEO of .ORG, The Public Interest Registry and elected Board Chair of RISG.

Charter members include .ORG, The Public Interest Registry; SIDN; Afilias Limited; Nominet; NeuStar, Inc.; CNNIC; Cyveillance, Inc.; Symantec Corporation; Shinkuro; GoDaddy.com, Inc.; MarkMonitor; Network Solutions; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Members meet regularly to advance RISG goals and share best practices.

"With the vast and varied makeup of the group, we will be able to evaluate security efforts and best practices from many different aspects," says Roelof Meijer, CEO of SIDN and Vice-Chair of RISG. "I look forward to the benefit our mutual efforts can offer to the industry."

RISG membership is open to all companies that agree to the RISG goals of security and corporate responsibility, and are able to contribute positively to the effort. Any company interested in RISG membership should contact any RISG member organization.

New policy leads industry in the effective deterrence of abuses like phishing and spam

DUBLIN, IRELAND - 7 October 2008 - Afilias, a global provider of registry services, today announced a new registration policy that makes the nature of domain name abuses clear for registrants and registrars, and furthers the power of the registry to take quick and appropriate action regarding .INFO domains used for abusive behavior. This policy will go into effect on 6 November 2008.

"This policy is the result of over a year of dedicated work by Afilias to understand and curtail the abusive use of domain names, and to design effective deterrents," said Ram Mohan, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Afilias. ".INFO's tremendous overall popularity has attracted criminals online, as do many other domains, so we are taking further firm action to protect users by improving detection and enforcement actions."

Under the policy, abusive use has been more clearly defined and includes, but is not limited to: phishing, e-mail spam and other types of spam, the willful distribution of malware, the use of botnets and fast-flux hosting, distribution of child pornography, illegal access to other computers or networks, and other illegal or fraudulent actions. Domains that are being abused will be reported to the sponsoring registrar, and Afilias has the option of removing them from the DNS and reporting the abuser to law enforcement. Afilias is committed to working closely with its registrars, legal authorities, security professionals, and others to rid the Internet of the scourge of domain abuse."

"This is a positive step forward demonstrating how registries can take positive actions to increase protection against security threats such as spam, phishing and malware," said Steven Crocker, Chair of ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee. "We applaud Afilias' efforts to deter such abusive practices."

The full details of the .INFO Anti-Abuse Policy can be found at: http://www.info.info/info/abusive_use_policy.

About .INFO

.INFO is the most intuitive path to information on the Internet. It was the first unrestricted generic top-level domain (TLD) launched since .COM and today contains over 5 million registered domains and millions of live Web sites. For more information on .INFO please visit www.info.info.

About Afilias

Afilias provides global registry services that leverage proven technology to deliver fast, reliable and secure service. Afilias' technology supports a wide range of applications, including Internet domain registries such as .INFO, .ORG, .aero, .mobi, .asia, .me, and many country code domains. Afilias also provides services in the RFID market with its Afilias Discovery Service, which enables real-time lookup of event histories across RFID networks. Afilias maintains international headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, sales offices in London, England, sales and operational facilities in Toronto, administrative offices in the U.S. near Philadelphia, PA, and operational offices in New Delhi, India.

New personalized domain is the hot new destination for Web addresses

Podgorica, Montenegro - August 5, 2008 - The .ME Registry announced today it has registered more than 100,000 domain names. This milestone comes a little more than two weeks after opening for live, real-time registrations by the general public and less than four months after opening its doors.

"We believe the huge demand for .ME reflects the public's interest in having a personal connection with the Web," said Predrag Lesic, the registry's executive director. "From interesting topics, to organization names, to brands, .ME sites give personality to the content on the Web sites associated with them."

More than 100 registrars currently offer .ME domains through their registration platform. .ME has seen its greatest interest among English speaking countries including the United States (71%), the United Kingdom (6%), Canada (4%), and Australia (2%).

Rank	Country Code	Country	Percentage
1	US	United States	71%
2	GB	United Kingdom	6%
3	CA	Canada	4%
4	AU	Australia	2%
5	IL	Israel	1%
6	DE	Germany	1%
7	FI	Finland	1%
8	AE	United Arab Emirates	1%
9	SE	Sweden	1%
10	NL	Netherlands	1%

More than a thousand auctions are currently open for popular .ME domains, with the highest bid over $32,000. Auctions for .ME have been extremely popular, with some of the top completed auctions to date being:

Name	Final Bid
lasvegas.me	$15,105
chatwith.me	$15,035
picture.me	$10,240
baidu.me	$10,005
onlinecasino.me	$10,005
tag.me	$10,005
secure.me	$10,005

There are still many active Land Rush auctions¹ taking place at http://Auctions.Domain.Me, including:

Name	Current Bid
insure.me	$33,505
hug.me	$14,505
surprise.me	$8,455
brand.me	$8,115
entertain.me	$7,600

"The number of individuals participating in .ME auctions, combined with the high values of the sales indicates brand owners and investors clearly understand the domain's potential," added Lesic. "We are pleased by this success since proceeds from the auctions go to further Internet development in Montenegro."

Information on the release of premium .ME names via auction is expected in the coming months.

The registration process for .ME began in May with the Sunrise period for trademark holders. Land Rush for the general public to register names began in June. In total more than 30,000 applications were received in the Sunrise and Land Rush periods.

A list of registrars offering .ME domains is available at www.Domain.ME.

About the .ME Registry:

.ME Registry (the d.b.a of doMEn, d.o.o.) was chosen by the government of Montenegro to operate the new .ME domain name extension..ME Registry partners include ME-net, GoDaddy.com and Afilias Limited. Me-Net is located in Montenegro and its principals have been leaders in the ICT sector in Montenegro, including the privatization of its largest ISP. GoDaddy.com is located in the USA and is the world's largest domain name registrar and the largest paid hostname provider in the world, according to Netcraft Ltd. Afilias Limited is headquartered in Ireland and is a leading registry services provider, supporting more than 13 million domains worldwide.

The Web's new personalized domain proves popular around the globe

Podgorica, Montenegro – July 22, 2008 – The .ME Registry officially opened for live, real-time registrations July 17, 2008 and was met with huge international demand. More than 50,000 new domain names were registered in the first two days, with the first "live" name registered being: yusu.me. "While English speaking countries led the way in registration volume, many non-English speaking countries such as Germany, China, and France made a strong showing," said Predrag Lesic, the registry's executive director. "We believe this bodes well for the international success of .ME as the only domain that is all about YOU! .ME is a domain space that offers personalized names for your products and services, or your personal presence on the web, including email, in a more generic way than any other."

Top 10 Countries of .ME Registration by Percentage

1	United States	50%
2	United Kingdom	11%
3	Germany	9%
4	Canada	5%
5	China	3%
6	France	3%
7	Netherlands	2%
8	Australia	1.5%
9	Israel	1%
10	Spain	1%

 

"The .ME registry performed extremely well and was able to accommodate the high demand for .ME domain names," said Ram Mohan, Afilias' Chief Technology Officer. "Afilias' registry system performed reliably, recording new create requests in under 21 milliseconds and processing more than 5,000 names in the first minute of open registration. In total, the registry seamlessly accommodated more than 60 registrars vying for .ME names."

The registration process for .ME began in May with the Sunrise period for trademark holders. Land Rush for the general public to register names began in June. In total more than 30,000 domains were applied for in Sunrise and Land Rush periods, and more than 50,000 new registrations were adding in the initial days of live, real-time registration.

A list of more than 85 accredited registrars from 24 different countries offering .ME domains is available at www.Domain.ME

About the .ME Registry:

.ME Registry (the d.b.a of doMEn, d.o.o.) was chosen by the government of Montenegro to operate the new .ME domain name extension..ME Registry partners include ME-net, GoDaddy.com and Afilias Limited. Me-Net is located in Montenegro and its principals have been leaders in the ICT sector in Montenegro, including the privatization of its largest ISP. GoDaddy.com is located in the USA and is the world's largest domain name registrar and the largest paid hostname provider in the world, according to Netcraft Ltd. Afilias Limited is headquartered in Ireland and is a leading registry services provider, supporting more than 13 million domains worldwide.

Live registration begins for the Web's new personalized domain

Podgorica, Montenegro – July 16, 2008 – The .ME Registry officially opens for live, real-time registrations in the new .ME domain at 15:00UTC July 17, 2008. Companies, organizations and members of the public can now get a Web presence that is truly personal, and have their new Web site working within minutes!

"The .ME registry live registration ushers in a new era of personalization on the Internet," said Predrag Lesic, the registry's executive director. "We were excited to see the innovative and catchy new names that were registered during Landrush, and now this brand new top level domain is open to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis."

The registration process for .ME began in May when the Sunrise period for trademark holders began. Landrush for the general public to register names began in June. In total more than 30,000 domains have already been registered and auctions for competing applications are now taking place. With open registrations, new domains registered will go live within minutes enabling anyone in the world to launch a site that is all about them immediately.

"The registry also expects to soon release its plan for auctioning many premium names that would serve as good new business or marketing ventures, including Love.ME, Buy.ME, and Date.Me," said Lesic.

Details of the .ME auctions should be released in August 2008.

A list of more than 85 accredited registrars from 24 different countries selling .ME domains is available at www.Domain.ME.

About the .ME Registry:

.ME Registry (the d.b.a of doMEn, d.o.o.) was chosen by the government of Montenegro to operate the new .ME domain name extension. The domain extension will be available to the general public worldwide in mid-July. .ME Registry partners include ME-net, GoDaddy.com and Afilias Limited. Me-Net is located in Montenegro and its principals have been leaders in the ICT sector in Montenegro, including the privatization of its largest ISP. GoDaddy.com is located in the USA and is the world's largest domain name registrar and the largest paid hostname provider in the world, according to Netcraft Ltd. Afilias Limited is headquartered in Ireland and is a leading registry services provider, supporting more than 13 million domains worldwide.

Copenhagen, Denmark – July 1, 2008 – The IT and Telecom Agency of Denmark has appointed dotDK as the association to handle the Danish internet domain registry in the future. This gives the dotDK Society the opportunity to realize its vision of enhancing the Danish top level domain for the benefit of the Danish community. dotDK will deliver a more secure, available and technologically advanced setup, but especially highlights that the entire Danish internet community in the future will have significantly more influence and a stronger voice.

The dotDK Society today announces its appointment by the IT and Telecom Agency of Denmark to handle the administration of the .dk top level domain.

"We are truly proud of the appointment and eagerly anticipate the task of migrating the system and assuming administration of the .dk registry. Our bid clearly emphasized the critical needs for Denmark which include a more secure, efficient and dependable system with enhanced input from the Danish internet community. The dotDK Society will be a Danish association with representation from the entire Danish internet community and administration located in Denmark, and we invite everyone who wishes to participate to join the dotDK Society," says Mads Thimmer, who also makes it clear that the wholesale price of 45 DKK a year will not be changed.

The Danish internet community will have a more direct influence due to the new organizational structure proposed by dotDK with a governing body made up of representatives from the entire Danish internet community including users, registrars, professionals, etc. The future also holds greater transparency in operations and public access to hearings, which will enable the Danish internet community and users to make their opinion heard and contribute with input on important processes and administrative aspects.

The next steps

The dotDK Society will establish itself as an official association and seek feedback and support from the Danish internet community. Upon providing evidence of this support to the IT and Telecom Agency, dotDK will complete its contract negotiations and put forth a migration plan for the registry. The original timetable released from the IT and Telecom Agency estimates that the registry transition is expected to occur by February 2009.

dotDK expects that the more efficient technology will liberate funds to increase the support of the Danish internet community. There is already now a couple of initiatives being formed that will fund innovative projects and ideas and we will in the coming months continue to form and realize these initiatives.

Basic building blocks in dotDK's bid and the future include its vision for increased community support and a world class registry system provided by Afilias Global Registry Services. These items include:

Improved Transparency

• New governance structure that puts Danish Internet community in charge
• ALL Community voices will be sought and heard
• Extensive public reporting on registry activities and performance

World class Availability

• Guaranteed 100% DNS availability is the best in the world-sites always work!
• Fast, automated transactions in a world standard EPP-based registry
• 24x7x365 service
• Redundant systems

Greater Efficiency

• Unchanged registrar wholesale prices at 45 DKK a year
• Efficient use of funds for the community instead of inefficient and expensive manual processes
• Efficiencies will enable us to remove the DIFO nameserver activation fee (DKK500), registrar accreditation fee (DKK2400/yr) and registrar minimum deposit (DKK5000)

Strengthened Security

• Better protection of Denmark against online-crime and attacks
• Links to world security experts will strengthen Denmark's defences
• Battle-hardened infrastructure will better repel attacks

About the founders

Dr. Kim V. Andersen is a Professor at Copenhagen Business School and Head of the Informatics Ph.D. School at CBS. His research is focused on e-government and IT-policies. He is a member of the research based network sundITnet and several European research projects. Kim has a Ph.D. from University of Copenhagen.

Nikolaj Nyholm is the CEO of Polar Rose, a visual search engine. He has over the last decade promoted and supported innovative projects within internet infrastructure. Nikolaj is a co-organizer of Reboot and has sponsored the start-up of several open source projects, including PowerDNS, one of the most popular DNS name servers globally.

Tor Bloch was previously Director with Merck and CO. Tor has an extensive international experience in supercomputer development and is member of a wide selection of committees and boards, including at NATO and the EU Commission. He is M.Sc. in Mathematics from University of Copenhagen.

Mads Thimmer is the CEO of Innovation Lab in Århus that translate new technology to primarily international companies and organizations. He is member of a number of think tanks and is a contributor to Berkshire Publishing's Encyclopaedia of the Future. He is educated at Århus University and University of Cambridge.

About dotDK

The dotDK Society is a not-for-profit Danish organization that will be formed should the National IT and Telecom Agency select dotDK's proposal to operate the .dk domain. If selected, dotDK will bring world-class technology, increased security, increased input mechanisms for the Danish Internet community, and increased global involvement. For additional information on dotDK or to voice your support please visit www.dotdkregistry.org.