registrars

CheckFree customers redirected to Ukraine site

Customers of CheckFree.com, an online bill paying site, were quietly redirected to servers in Ukraine early Tuesday morning, according to several reports.

Representatives of CheckFree told WashingtonPost.com that customers were redirected to a blank log-in page that attempted to install malware on the visiting PC. The company said it regained control at 5 a.m. EST Tuesday, so only customers using the site overnight were likely affected.

Mike Haro, senior security analyst at Sophos told CNET News, "The fact that they used a blank page to download a Trojan (not exactly subtle) says to me one of … Read more

How to register a domain name

On this quick tip, I show you how to register a domain name. Watch the video, then come back here for the details.

First, a quick look at how domain names work. When you type in a domain name, a request goes out to find out what server has that site.

The domain name is changed into a set of numbers that identifies that machine. The register table that tells what domain names go with what numbers is a registry. So to get a domain name you need to find a registrar.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers … Read more

Don't get screwed by Microsoft Office Live Small Business

In todays' New York Times, David Pogue reviewed an updated version of Microsoft's Office Live Small Business, a suite of online services for making Web sites (I'm simplifying a bit).

He failed to point out an important defensive computing aspect of any Web site, divorcing it from the domain name registration. In addition, trusting Microsoft to handle domain registration is not your best option. To fully understand this, some background is required.

A domain name, such as CNET.com or JavaTester.org is a unique name on the Internet, one that is used for both e-mail and a … Read more

How to fire a webmaster

Firing people on Wall Street can be particularly cruel. One minute you're an employee, then security guards show up at your desk, escort you out the building and you get your personal effects in cardboard box days later.

Businesses paying someone to run their website, don't have to be that cruel, but the basic risk is the same. One the person in charge of a website knows they are on the outs, there is a chance they may extract revenge by defacing the site. Businesses can protect themselves, by following the procedure described below for firing a webmaster. … Read more

123-Reg takes its users' email down...again (Update)

Just when we thought we were out of the woods, 123-Reg is at it again. This time its DNS servers don't seem to be screwing up its customers' web sites, but their email...well, that's another thing entirely.

Email is down for at least some of its customers (including me). This isn't the first time the Pipex-owned domain registrar has decimated its customers' email (the last prominent time being in 2002). But it will certainly be the last time it does this to me.

Update: I just heard from our IT person, and apparently the problem with … Read more