(Wired News, 15 April) Domain-name hijackers are taking over hundreds of web sites in a campaign that may be rooted in tensions among Balkan states, site owners and monitors say. In recent weeks, individuals listing Serbian and Albanian postal addresses have reportedly exploited a weakness in registrar Network Solutions and appropriated names registered through the company. Domain takeovers enable the hijacker(s) to control the server associated with a domain name, such as Viagra.com or Indianajones.com. Hijackers can then reassign the domain name to another Web server, or to no server at all, disrupting traffic intended to go to the site. This latest round of hijackings may be random hacking or part of a fledgling Balkan info-war. A Network Solutions spokesperson confirmed that many domains had recently been "redirected" to a registrant listing an Albanian address, but refused to pinpoint the exact number of affected domains beyond "considerably less than 2,000." IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you are not using HushMail, this message could have been read easily by the many people who have access to your open personal email messages. Get your FREE, totally secure email address at http://www.hushmail.com.
