Domain Name Registration: Renew now or lose your domain?
Virus Alert
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Domain Name Registration: Renew now or lose your domain?
Competing domain registrars seem to be using “scare tactics” to encourage domain owners to transfer their names and renew with an alternative service. With pitches warning that your failure to renew can result in a “loss of your online identity” and invoices listing your domain name with the urgent note “must be renewed,” these notices are hard to ignore. Should these warnings be taken seriously? What should you do if you receive such a notice?
Domain registrars charge fees for domain name registration, which includes keeping records of your contact information and details of your domain’s corresponding server. This information is provided to a central registry so people can find your web site on the internet. Before 1999 there was only one registrar, but since that time more than 150 registrars have been accredited and compete for your business. Registration terms range from one to ten years with rates varying by registrar. When your domain’s term is nearing expiration, the registrar that sponsors your domain name will contact you about renewal. However, since many details of your registration—including your term’s expiration date—are a matter of public record, competing registrars may also contact you near the expiration. If you should receive a renewal or transfer notice:
- Make a note of the expiration date. Even if the notice is not from your current registrar, be aware that your domain name really is nearing its expiration. Competing registrars will send their notices several months before expiration dates to leave plenty of time for transfer to their company, so you may receive notice from them before you hear from your own registrar.
- Determine whether the invoice was sent from your domain’s current registrar. Check your records to see if this is the registrar that sponsors your domain, or ask your webmaster where your domain is registered. Keep this information handy so you can check it against the notices you receive.
- If the notice is from a competing registrar—and you’re tempted to transfer—check the fine print of the offer before you initiate a move. Some registrars sweeten the deal by offering hosting, free domain parking and “under construction” pages. Many registrars advertise great prices but require you to commit to longer registration terms to take advantage of their lowest rates. Whatever the benefits or rates, make sure that the registrar you’re considering is ICANN accredited. You’ll also want to familiarize yourself with the process of transferring your domain name, which can sometimes be complicated. Make sure that the contact information at your existing registrar is up-to-date before you start the transfer so they can contact you for approval.
- Assuming that you want to keep your domain name, renew promptly. You’re not obligated to renew with your current registrar—just as you aren’t obligated to accept a competing offer—but whatever your choice of registrar, you should not let your domain name expire. When your registration lapses, your domain is eventually offered to the public, and once it’s been registered by someone else it’s virtually impossible to get it back.
Additional information about domain names is available at InterNIC’s site.
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Virus Alert
A new strain of the SWEN/Gibe virus is making the rounds, appearing in e-mail as a .ZIP file and claiming to be Microsoft security patch No. MS03-047. Microsoft did release security patch No. MS03-047 in mid-October 2003, but they do not e-mail software patches to customers. Many firewalls still permit .ZIP files to pass through; this virus makes host computers vulnerable to attacks from remote computers. (Read more about this virus here.)
More information about Microsoft Windows Security and Update downloads.
For news of the latest viruses, visit Symantec’s site.
Symantec also maintains a list of e-mail hoaxes. If you receive an e-mail with a questionable offer or a warning about a strange new virus, please check this list before passing along the information: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html.
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