Insider Trading May Have Net Variant

Firm is responsible for delivering people to more than half of all websites

(NEWSER) - Hackers managed to break into the servers of a crucial web company responsible for delivering users to more than half the websites in the world. VeriSign doesn't believe the attackers infiltrated its Domain Name System network—which is responsible for directing traffic to .com, .net, and .gov addresses on the Internet—but it can't rule it out. The attacks occurred in 2010, but only came to light today, when Reuters spotted them in an October SEC filing. More»

Domain name possibilities to explode on Thursday

(NEWSER) - The Internet is getting a makeover. Starting Thursday, the web will make a big step in moving way beyond dot-com , dot-net, and the like. For the first time since 2000, ICANN, the administrator of Internet addresses, will begin taking applications for a huge range of new top-level domain names. Now, companies large and small are racing to cash in on the transition, the Wall Street Journal reports. They're ready to pay the $185,000 application fee to become "registry holders" and control the letters to the right of the dot. More»

Top honors went to Social.com, which sold for $2.6M

(NEWSER) - This year was a cheap one for buying domain names—relatively speaking. Sex.com sold for a wild $13 million last year, but 2011's top honors went to a domain name that cost the lucky buyer just $2.6 million. What was it? Social.com (which currently returns a "server not found" page). Business Insider used DN Journal's stats to present the top 15 biggies (excluding sales of domain names that also included other assets). The other big sellers:

1. DomainName.com: this thrilling name sold for a cool $1 million

Domain name makes Web debut at 11am today

(NEWSER) - Today is the day that .com starts to sound even tamer: The much more risque .xxx domain goes live at 11am ET today. Some 100,000 websites are expected to make their very adult debut at that time, and CNN reports on some of the upsides and downsides to the move. Pro: They should become safer destinations. Porn links frequently serve as fronts for viruses or other malware; those who apply for a .xxx domain agree to follow certain business standards, and all .xxx sites will be scanned every day with McAfee tools. Con: Some argue the availability of the suffix is basically an endorsement of porn. More»

Forget .com: we'll soon see sites ending in brand and city names

(NEWSER) - It's a huge day for the Internet: The organization in charge of online addresses has OKed a giant boost in domain endings, giving the green light to nearly any word in any language, reports the New York Times . The Internet Corporation for the Assignment of Web Names and Numbers "has opened the internet's addressing system to the limitless possibilities of the human imagination," says its CEO. The group will start accepting applications for the suffixes next year, the BBC notes, and cities (think .berlin) and companies (like .canon) are expected to be first in line. More»