Domain Health Survey Shocker

E -business consultancy ActualIT has found that in the region of 70 percent of domain names are configured incorrectly, allowing site security to be breached or the site to become inaccessible, according to the company's latest Domain Health Survey.

The research indicates that the problems occur when a website address is turned into IP addresses, a series of numbers used in order to route information around the Internet. If the process, called Domain Name System (DNS) is done incorrectly, site security could be compromised. (Technically speaking, DNS is responsible for translating cryptic IP addresses into more easily remembered domain names and vice versa, routing mail to its proper destinations and other fundamental Internet services.)

The survey, run in partnership with DNS software specialist, Men & Mice, also shows that approximately 38% of .com domains have the same DNS configuration problem that allowed some of Microsoft's most popular websites to crash for over 24 hours. Looking at a random sample of nearly 5000 active .com domains using a diagnostic tool, the survey revealed that 38% of the domains are running all of their DNS Server on the same network segment and thus creating a single point of failure for the DNS.

According to Nick Carus, technology and services director at ActualIT, 'Right now, the UK is the worst in Europe. DNS is riddled with security holes and urgently needs a spring-clean. There is an opportunity here for the Government to get behind the effort to do it. It is clear that a stunning number of companies have serious DNS configuration problems which can lead to failure at any time. A single point of failure can go undetected for months which is simply a disaster waiting to happen.'

Since November 1998, Men & Mice has published the quarterly 'domain health survey' covering .com domains and other large Internet domains.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.