Registrar's database said to have exposed data
Error may have existed on domain name site for up to four months
April 7, 2006 12:00 PM ETIDG News Service - A database problem with a U.S. domain name registrar exposed sensitive financial and personal information related to thousands of domain name registrations, a Dutch company said Friday.
New York-based DiscountDomainRegistry.com fixed the problem shortly after being notified yesterday, said Nico Vandendries, CEO of Strongwood, a private investigation company based in the Netherlands.
DiscountDomainRegistry.com CEO Alex Brecher said in an e-mail to the IDG News Service that the company is 100% positive customer data was not compromised. The "alleged vulnerability," he wrote, was patched within minutes after the company was contacted by Strongwood.
"We're in the midst of investigating these allegations, and we cannot provide detailed information at this time," Brecher wrote.
Erik Ekkelenkamp, a systems project engineer at Strongwood, was researching .eu domain names when he clicked a link within DiscountDomainRegistry's site. The link led to an error involving execution rights on a MySQL directory. MySQL is a widely used open-source database program.
A script plus other programming usually unseen was visible that allowed for a connection to the database, which contained credit card numbers, usernames, passwords and other information, Vandendries said.
A DiscountDomainRegistry.com official wasn't initially convinced there was a problem, Vandendries said.
"At first, they didn't believe us until we presented him with his own password," Vandendries said. "And then he knew we were in."
On its Web site, DiscountDomainRegistry.com, founded in 1998, says it registers domain names for $14.99 per year, including those of Fortune 500 companies.
So far, it's believed that no one has exploited the error, which may have existed for up to four months, Ekkelenkamp said. DiscountDomainRegistry.com had changed parts of its Web site recently, which may have resulted in the bug, he said.
The damage could have been severe, Vandendries said. The credit card data and personal information from DiscountDomainRegistry.com clients could have been sold, he said.
Further, access to usernames and passwords would have allowed an intruder to change the names and IP addresses associated with Web sites, a method used for so-called phishing scams, Vandendries said.
Phishing involves tricking users into visiting a Web site that appears legitimate but actually is a facade. The URL may look authentic but connects to an IP address with a bogus Web site. The fraudulent Web sites usually have forms for providing sensitive material, such as financial information, which is then directly sent to scammers.
Vandendries estimated it would take "little skill" with MySQL to exploit the bug. "If a bad guy found this leak and had access to the database ... then I'm sure it could have cost millions," he said.
Ekkelenkamp said he received a call last night from the owner of DiscountDomainRegistry.com, thanking him.
Reprinted with permission from
Story copyright 2009 International Data Group. All rights reserved.
Viruses
Additional Resources



Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.
White Papers & Webcasts
The State of PCI DSS Compliance at Organizations Today
Download this resource today!
Managing Secure File Transfer to Save Time, Money and IT Resources
Learn how companies are using innovative technology to overcome these challenges and improve user productivity by offloading e-mail attachments and replacing FTP with...
Can Heuristic Technology Help Your Company Fight Viruses?
What is Heuristic Technology and how can it help safeguard your business against viruses? Learn more.
Security Convergence Equals Network Security Cost Savings
Listen to IBM Internet Security Systems' take on network security convergence.
Why Email Must Operate 24/7 and How to Make This Happen
Learn how to avoid an email outage by implementing a hosted email continuity solution.
Lower the Cost and Complexity of a Mobile Workforce through Automation
Download This Resource Now!
Eradicate Spam & Gain 100% Asurance of Clean Mailboxes
Get this paper now!
Managing Mobility: Improve Data Security, Compliance and Manageability
Download This Resource Now!
Mastering eDiscovery: The IT Manager's Guide to Preservation, Protection & Production
Get this paper now!
Disaster Recovery 2008: Reduced Costs and Improved Performance
How long can your Enterprise afford to be without your data? With an accelerated disaster recovery program, you never have to answer this...
