Panix.com hijacked

[Domain Name Guy]

Everyone, some of you may have read about panix.com having been
hijacked, although thankfully it has since been restored (and at record
time, too: 2 days).

You can read about it here:

http://news.com.com/ISP+fights+for+retu ... ews.1025.5
http://www.circleid.com/article/897_0_1_0_C/
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/0 ... 546,00.htm
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/17 ... in_hijack/

Actually, just go to www.panix.com and read how it happened.

Some tips (actually more like reminders) I want to share with you all:

1. Choose a registrar that provides domain locking, preferably free,
and makes it almost too easy to manage it.

2. Keep your login information safe. Never share it with anyone else
unless the person you feel is someone you can even trust your life
with! (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating on this one, but you know what
I mean...)

3. If necessary, change your password frequently and make it hard
for someone to decipher it.

4. Make sure your computer is safe. Determined hackers can try to
compromise your computer's security and obtain the information to
access your domain name/s thru there.

(personal note: this is probably what happened to panix.com, though
I'm still checking with my sources to discern what happened...)

5. Keep your domain name's contact info updated.

6. If you're going to transfer your domain name to another provider
(called a registrar), plan ahead! You have to unlock the name first
before doing so, and keep your contact email alert to intercept any
transfer requests you might not have actually made.

7. Do an important thing not many people do: read the fine print of
your current registrar/reseller's legal agreements and every email
you receive from them regarding your name/s.

Bottom line: be proactive and alert enough to stay on top of things.

Hoping this helps...