NEW YORK CITY - After acquiring Google Domains late last year after the internet giant decided to close down the service, Squarespace has seen a sharp drop-off of customers from the business in the subsequent months since the sale was completed, reports say. Back in July of 2023, Google abruptly announced that it would be ending its Google Domains service after nearly 10 years and would be selling the business and all of its assets to Squarespace, a New York-based website … [Read more...]
.AI Domain Sales Exceed $5 Million in 2023, On-Track to Hit $10 Million in 2024
WEST PALM, FL - .AI is the internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. For years the small island country has been reaping a profit from the rising popularity among companies and projects related to the artificial intelligence industry who have been wanting to register .AI domains for their projects and business ventures. This phenomenon began to hit a fever pitch in 2013, to the point that Anguilla actually … [Read more...]
10 Billion Connections to Malicious Domains Blocked by NSA in 2023 via “PDNS”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Security Agency (NSA) noted that 10 billion user connections to known malicious or suspicious domains were blocked over the course of the past year as part of the agency’s efforts, according to its 2023 Cybersecurity Year in Review report released on Tuesday. The NSA‘s annual report is a public account of the agency’s work with government partners, defense industrial base (DIB) entities, and foreign partners to help keep the nation secure, … [Read more...]
Shiba Inu Developers Planning on Launch of First Crypto Top-Level Domain “.shib”
NEW YORK, NY - The development team behind the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency – inspired by the Shiba Inu, a Japanese dog breed which also serves as the mascot for Dogecoin – is planning on launching the first ever crypto top-level domain in partnership with domain company D3. Shiba Inu are currently waiting for approval of the new domain, “.shib,” which is slated to be utilized for websites and email for what is being described as a “decentralized identity project for internet … [Read more...]
Multiple Domains Used by Vietnamese Cybercrime Group Seized by Microsoft
REDMOND, WA - Multiple domains utilized by a Vietnamese cybercrime group known as “Storm-1152” to sell fraudulent Outlook email accounts have been seized by Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit. The domains have been used to cause millions of dollars in damage. Storm-1152 had reportedly used these domains to register over 750 million fake Outlook accounts that they then would sell online to cybercriminals. In addition, the outlaw group also provided numerous other illegal … [Read more...]
New Service to Assist with WHOIS Lookups Launched by ICANN for Authorized Users
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – the nonprofit organization that oversees the domain industry – has launched a new centralized online service to assist researchers, law enforcement, and others to request personal data from all public domain registration records. This new service comes after ICANN had instructed all registrars in May 2018 to redact personal data – such as a customer’s name, address, phone number … [Read more...]
Google’s New “.meme” Top-Level Domain Allows Users to “Express Themselves”
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -For anyone who wants to add an element of silliness to their website address, Google Registry is giving them the opportunity to do so with the release of the new top-level domain “.meme.” While a meme is classically defined as “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture,” in recent years popular culture has put a slightly different spin on the phrase, using it more to identify an amusing or interesting … [Read more...]
Q3 Domain Report: Slight “.COM” Reg Decline, New GTLDs Enjoy 10% Increase
RESTON, VA - Verisign, the company that is the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains (TLDs) and the .cc country-code top-level domain, released their 3rd quarter 2023 Domain Name Industry Brief (DNIB) this week that reveals by the end of the latest quarter, total domain registrations across all TLDs worldwide have reached 359.3 million. That number represents a 2.4 percent increase year over year, amounting to an … [Read more...]
Report: Domain Squatting, Brand Hijacking Presenting Increased Threat Across Internet
PALM BEACH, FL - “Domain squatting” – AKA cybersquatting – and “brand hijacking” are two internet-based threats that present unique dangers to both businesses and end users, opening up some to cybersecurity threats and brand/trademark damage including potential phishing and malware attacks. Domain squatting is registering or using a domain name to profit from a trademark belonging to a well-known brand, typically by registering a misspelled version of their URL to … [Read more...]
80% Of Top 10 “.Net” Domain Name Sales of All Time Going to Waste, Not Being Used
PALM BEACH, FL - .net domains, what probably should be the number two domain name extension right after .org for organizations, seem not too attractive these days. Being the -owner of a couple of good .net domains, I like to check in on them occasionally and see what people are doing with them. Unfortunately, Estibot appraisals on .net domains have not seemed to change over the last five or so years; I'm still seeing the same numbers. I also wanted to look at the top … [Read more...]
Ticket Marketplace Announces Acquisition of Vegas.com Travel Company for $240M
CHICAGO, IL - Vivid Seats Inc., a ticket exchange and resale company, announced during an earnings call with investors on Tuesday the acquisition of the Vegas.com internet domain in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $240 million. In a press release, Vivid noted that the Vegas.com domain provides the “most comprehensive event inventory of shows, attractions, and tours in Las Vegas, one of the world's most desirable destinations for leisure and … [Read more...]
“Prolific Puma” Created 75k Unique Domain Names Since April 2022 Used for Scams
SANTA CLARA, CA - Researchers from security vendor Infoblox have uncovered an actor known as “Prolific Puma” that has been revealed as having provided link shortening services for countless cyber criminals for a span of time of at least four years or longer, an act that has likely been responsible for an immense number of scams targeting innocent people. As an example of how Prolific Puma lives up to the "prolific” part of their name, the actor reportedly … [Read more...]
Casino gTLD Domain Owners Continue to Cash In As “Betting.online” Sold at $400,000
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - As verified by domain registry operator Radix, Casino.online, a casino review website, has announced they have purchased the “betting.online” domain for the price of $400,000. The price is record-setting for domain transactions within the generic top-level domains (gTLDs) category and currently ranks as the joint fifth-highest domain sale across all top-level domains (TLDs) for 2023. Casino.online’s CEO, Patrick Gerhard, issued a statement … [Read more...]
FEDs Seize 17 Domains Suspected of Being Used for Fraud in U.S. by North Korea
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Wednesday, the United States Justice Department announced it has seized 17 website domains utilized by North Korean information technology (IT) workers to purportedly evade government sanctions, conduct cyberattacks and defraud U.S. businesses, with the millions of dollars in illicit proceeds generated from such activities being used to fund North Korea's weapon development program. The Justice Department confirmed in a statement that the … [Read more...]
Domain History As Google Ranking Factor Highlighted Again in Search Engine Journal
BOCA RATON, FL - The history of domain name can have a decisively significant factor in terms of its Google ranking. If a user owns a domain that is new and has never been used before then they essentially have a clean slate, but if the domain name was previously owned and has changed hands – perhaps even more than once – how it was utilized by its previous owner and/or owners could absolutely have an impact on your ranking going forward. Most people don't pay much … [Read more...]