Register.com--BEWARE! Wildcarding YOUR Subdomains as a Default Setting!

[Ms Domainer]

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I just discovered something distressing.

Register.com is wildcarding YOUR subdomains and PARKING them on their own parking page. It's the default setting for your A Record.

I just found my A Record setting:

*.Poets.net points to (IP Number).

This means that an infinite number of subdomains off my premium domain is potentially making Register.com $$$.

For those in the know, what would happen if I simply deleted the * in my A record?

Should I replace it with www, even though I already have used the CName alias (ghs.google.com)?

Register.com seems to be off for the Easter break, but I definitely plan to get in touch with them.

Do other registrars do such sneaky stuff?

EDIT: Another question: Is it possible to set ALL the subdomains to simply forward to the main site?

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[.X.]

I am glad this has been brought to every one's attention.

I will be checking my names from now on.

 

[Tia Wood]

I'm shocked this hasn't gotten more attention than what it has.....

 

[Dave_Z]

Do you have any examples?

http://blog.name.com/2012/01/pro-tip-how-to-get-rid-of-that-pesky-parking-page/
At least they're honest. Unlike maybe Register.com, Name.com's rationale behind it arguably makes more sense given their prices and business model.

As long as you're using a registrar's DNS, the chances of this thing happening are (unfortunately) there. Then again, it can also happen with whoever's DNS you're using unless they say (and do) otherwise.

 

[Ms Domainer]

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Unfortunately, disclosed or not, this practice has the potential to land a domain in a UDRP, especially if a trademarked term as the subdomain is searched and indexed in Google (like asdasdasd.poets.net and london.poets.net have already done), and the searcher is the trademark owner who may be researching ways to win a domain in a "bad faith" case. The domain owner may be unknowingly infringing on someone's TM, and how does one prove ignorance?

Remember, wildcarding involves an infinite number of subdomains and does NOT exclude TM and adult terms.

For example, what would happen if Apple.corp.com (not mine) redirected to a parking page? (Thankfully, it doesn't resolve at all, which is why I feel confident using it as an example). Could the Apple Corp. record company go after that owner?

Also, all those Sedo parking pages are at the same risk, given that Sedo also wildcards subdomains.

Yes, Google does not usually index parked pages, but sometimes it does. Why, I don't know, but that could be a problem as well.

I did read an article that suggests that a UDRP cannot be won using subdomain designation as proof of bad faith, BUT it seems that these rules change day by day, that precedence means nothing in UDRP decisions.

Thoughts?

ADDED: Evidently the owner of corp.com has figured this out--kind of fascinating (seems to be safe):

http://corp.com/

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[2knew]

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Thoughts?

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I think it would be reasonable to expect we are not liable for 3rd party actions - Someone exploiting a wildcard DNS entry to send me unwanted traffic wouldn't be the same as explicitly setting the DNS entry for the subdomain. ( A trademark.mydomain.tld DNS entry _I_ create would be pretty hard to explain away... )

Either way, I don't expect a registrar to serve content on behalf of my domain for their financial benefit ( unless I left it default parked with them - that's different imho ).

 

[Dave_Z]

Unfortunately, disclosed or not, this practice has the potential to land a domain in a UDRP, especially if a trademarked term as the subdomain is searched and indexed in Google (like asdasdasd.poets.net and london.poets.net have already done), and the searcher is the trademark owner who may be researching ways to win a domain in a "bad faith" case.

UDRP doesn't address subdomains or wildcard DNS per se. A court could, although that's still iffy.