Patch for Major Security Flaw Is Ineffective

Security expert says DNS flaw could cause Internet-wide chaos

(NEWSER) - Security researcher Dan Kaminsky outlined what he calls the biggest Internet security hole since 1997 to a gathering of experts yesterday, and it's a lot worse than had been understood, Wired reports. “Every network is at risk,” Kaminsky said at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. "That's what this flaw has shown." The bug, a hole in the Domain Name Service, has wider implications than anyone realized when word of it leaked last month, Kaminksy said. More»

Web users accessing Trendnet cams without passwords

(NEWSER) - Feeds from an extensive network of home security cameras have been breached, and videos, including scenes from children's bedrooms, are being watched and linked to online. "Someone caught a guy getting naked in Denmark," noted one blogger. Another remarked: "Baby spotted. I feel like a pedophile watching this." Because of a security vulnerability in the Trendnet software, savvy web users can get access to live home footage without a password, reports the BBC. "Lengthy lists of freely accessible video streams are already circulating on the web, providing views of offices, living rooms and children's bedrooms," notes The H , a web site on online security. More»

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