tldlog: domain name news

Rare Cyrillic and Latin letters let attackers spoof URLs in Chromium browsers

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 14:01:28 GMT

Researchers Ian Muscat and Leanne Briffa of Have I Been Squatted found that two uncommon characters, a Cyrillic barred o and a Latin K with hook, can bypass Chromium’s anti-spoofing checks, letting lookalike domains display as trusted brand names.

Source: theregister.com

AI-themed names dominate ICANN's new top-level domain applications

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:22:59 GMT

ICANN has published 1,615 new top-level domain applications from 481 applicants, with strings like .agent, .agi and .asi drawing multiple bids from companies including Meta and OpenAI.

Source: theverge.com

ICANN reminds resolver operators to check new DNSSEC root key ahead of rollover

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 07:26:48 GMT

ICANN has urged operators of DNSSEC-validating resolvers to confirm that KSK-2024, identified by Key Tag 38696, is present in their trust anchor configuration before the root zone KSK rollover scheduled for 11 October 2026.

Source: icann.org

DOJ and FBI seize domains tied to alleged Chinese cyber espionage tools

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:28:32 GMT

The US Justice Department and FBI seized seven domains linked to two alleged Chinese cyber espionage tools, Microscan and FishHub, which they say were used by actors tied to Integrity Technology Group to target critical infrastructure in the US, Asia and Europe.

Source: circleid.com

ICANN’s 2026 gTLD applications show shift from apps to AI agents

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:51:36 GMT

ICANN revealed 1,615 new gTLD applications from 481 applicants on October 7, led by .agent with 13 applicants, including Google, OpenAI, Meta and Alibaba Cloud, mirroring how the internet has shifted since the 2012 round led by .app, Simone Catania writes on CircleID.

Source: circleid.com

.Com wholesale prices rise 7% on November 1

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:47:11 GMT

Verisign will raise the wholesale price of .com domains by 7% to $10.97 plus ICANN’s 20-cent fee starting November 1. Registrars charging near-cost prices, including Cloudflare, NameBright, Porkbun, Unstoppable Domains, Spaceship and GoDaddy’s Domain Discount Club Pro, are expected to pass on the increase. Registrants can renew or transfer domains for up to 10 years before the deadline to lock in current pricing, and many registrars currently offer transfer specials below the upcoming renewal fee.

Source: Domain Name Wire

ICANN ban on private settlements may push more new gTLD disputes to auction

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:43:09 GMT

ICANN’s new gTLD round shows 263 contention groups after reveal day, with private settlements now banned. Portfolio applicants including Identity Digital, Namecheap, XYZ.com, GoDaddy and ShortDot face heavy overlap, while most brand applications stand uncontested.

Source: domainbrief.de

Internet's root zone DNSSEC key rotates October 11

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:56:46 GMT

The DNS root zone's signing key changes on October 11, 2026, switching from KSK-2017 to KSK-2024, CZ.NIC's Ondřej Filip explains, urging DNS resolver operators to verify support beforehand to avoid outages. Cloudflare offers a test tool to check resolvers.

Source: blog.nic.cz

ICANN reveals 1,615 new gTLD applications, .agent most contested

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 04:48:25 GMT

ICANN's Reveal Day showed 1,615 applications for new top-level domains, with .agent drawing 13 competing applicants. Identity Digital filed the most applications (216), ahead of Link Freedom Group, XYZ Registry, GoDaddy and Intercap Registry.

Source: dnjournal.com

ICANN Reveal Day data shows 1,614 new gTLD applications across 986 strings

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 04:44:00 GMT

ICANN's 2026 Reveal Day export, finalized October 8, shows 1,614 applications for 986 distinct gTLD strings from 480 applicants, with 55 percent of applications in direct conflict and artificial intelligence terms the most contested category.

Source: iptwins.com

Link Freedom Group swaps 19 proposed gTLD strings after reveal day

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:36:52 GMT

Hours after ICANN disclosed new gTLD applications, Link Freedom Group replaced 19 of its 158 proposed top-level domains with alternative strings, dropping contested names like .brand and .max in favor of less-contested options.

Source: Domain Name Wire

Austria's tldbox applies for .salzburg, .verein and .coaching gTLDs

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:24:36 GMT

Following ICANN's Reveal Day on October 7, 2026, Austrian registry services firm tldbox confirmed it applied for three new generic top-level domains: .salzburg, .verein and .coaching, under ICANN's new gTLD Program 2026 round.

Source: Nic.at

ICANN reveals 1,615 applications for 2026 gTLD round, over half in contention

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:09:49 GMT

ICANN published the applications for the 2026 new gTLD round on October 7, showing 481 applicants filed 1,615 applications, including 333 dot-brands. More than half, 891 applications, fall into 263 contention sets, with 13 applicants competing for .agent.

Source: domainbrief.de

XYZ.com applies for 139 new top level domains in 2026 round

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 23:00:03 GMT

XYZ.com LLC, the company behind .xyz and 34 other extensions, has applied for 139 new top level domain names in the 2026 application round, making it the third-largest applicant by count, according to Domain Name Wire.

Source: Domain Name Wire

ICANN's new gTLD applications reveal .agent and .lab tied for most contested

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:48:28 GMT

ICANN published its full list of 1,616 new top-level domain applications, revealing .agent and .lab/.labs tied at 13 applicants each as the most contested strings, with .bit, .api and .brand close behind.

Source: Domain Name Wire

Meta applies for .superintelligence and 17 other new top-level domains

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:26:31 GMT

Meta applied for 18 new top level domains including .superintelligence, .agent, .meta and .whatsapp, ICANN disclosed. Rival applicant Radix had sought .superintelligence only as a backup string, so its bid becomes void once Meta’s primary application proceeds.

Source: Domain Name Wire

Identity Digital applies for 216 new top-level domains

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:23:30 GMT

Identity Digital, already the largest gTLD registry operator, applied for 216 new top-level domain strings in the 2026 application round, spanning 13 categories including AI, Web3, finance and travel, chief revenue officer Matt Overman told Domain Name Wire.

Source: Domain Name Wire

GoDaddy applies for 77 new top-level domains

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:43:38 GMT

GoDaddy has applied for 77 new top level domains through its registry subsidiary in the 2026 round of ICANN’s expansion, a major increase after largely skipping the 2012 round.

Source: Domain Name Wire

Trump’s company applies for .trump top-level domain

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:42:24 GMT

DTTM TLD, LLC, Donald Trump’s intellectual property holding company, has applied to ICANN for the .trump top-level domain, one of 1,616 applications submitted during this year’s new gTLD round.

Source: Domain Name Wire

OpenAI applies for 15 new top-level domains including .agent and .gpt

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:40:23 GMT

OpenAI has applied for fifteen new top level domains, including five dot-brand strings (.chatgpt, .codex, .oai, .openai, .gpt) and generic terms like .agent, .skill and .voice. OpenAI is one of thirteen applicants for .agent, competing with Google and Meta, while two other companies also applied for .gpt. Rival Anthropic applied for just two dot-brands, .anthropic and .claude.

Source: Domain Name Wire

Google applies for 39 new top-level domains including .agent and .waymo

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:27:22 GMT

Google has applied for 39 new top-level domains in ICANN’s 2026 expansion round, down from the 101 it sought in 2012. It faces competition for .agent from 13 applicants, including OpenAI and Meta.

Source: Domain Name Wire

Google Chrome blocks rogue certificates after ccTLD hijacks in Ghana, Sierra Leone, American Samoa

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 07:47:12 GMT

Chrome says attackers hijacked the .gh, .sl, and .as ccTLD registries, altering DNS records and obtaining unauthorized HTTPS certificates for Google and other organizations' domains, prompting Chrome to block the certificates via CRLSets.

Source: Google Security

Denic expects first deletions of quarantined .de domains in October

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:52:15 GMT

Since April, German registry Denic has placed around 36,000 of its 18 million .de domains into quarantine, but none have been deleted so far. Denic representative Thomas Keller said the first deletions are expected from early October onward, as the quarantine process moves toward completion.

Source: domainbrief.de

Global domain registrations hit 401.6 million in Q2 2026, report says

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:15:08 GMT

The DNIB Quarterly Report for Q2 2026 says worldwide domain name registrations across all top-level domains reached 401.6 million by the end of June 2026. That figure represents a rise of 9.1 million registrations, or 2.3%, compared with the first quarter, and a year-over-year increase of 29.9 million, or 8.1%. The report also states that .com and .net combined held 179.1 million registrations, up 3.0 million from the previous quarter. As of June 30, 2026, .com alone accounted for 166.6 million names and .net for 12.5 million, according to the report.

Source: DNIB.com

ICANN to reveal new gTLD applicants and strings on October 7

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:28:25 GMT

ICANN will publish its Reveal Day list on October 7, 2026, disclosing which entities applied for which new top-level domain strings in this year's expansion round, which drew over 1,600 applications. The release, scheduled for 18:00 UTC, will include replacement strings, contention sets and public portions of applications. The Internet Commerce Association will host a free webinar the next day featuring gTLD experts to analyze the results. The reveal also triggers a two-week window for applicants to switch to replacement strings, with String Confirmation Day set for November 17, 2026.

Source: dnjournal.com

GoDaddy set to lose .us registry role to Identity Digital, raising domain risk concerns

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:12:18 GMT

GoDaddy is losing its position managing the .us country-code domain, with Identity Digital set to take over the registry contract, according to domainincite.com. The report suggests the transition could put some existing .us domain registrations at risk, though the exact mechanism and timeline were not detailed in the available text. The .us domain is the United States' official country-code top-level domain and has seen declining registration numbers in recent years. A change of registry operator for a national domain is a significant event, since it can affect pricing, policy and renewal processes for registrants.

Source: domainincite.com

ICANN report shows IDN registrations falling for fourth straight period

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:08:43 GMT

ICANN has published a new report on internationalized domain names (IDNs), domains that use non-Latin scripts or special characters. While the organization points to progress in areas such as infrastructure and tooling, the report itself documents a fourth consecutive decline in IDN registrations. It also finds that 71 percent of mail servers still cannot accept internationalized email addresses, a longstanding barrier to wider adoption. The findings highlight a gap between ICANN's stated progress and the actual uptake of IDNs among users and service providers.

Source: domainbrief.de

Link Freedom Group submits over 300 new gTLD applications before deadline

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:35:45 GMT

ICANN's application window for its latest round of new generic top-level domains closed on August 12, 2026, after opening in April. According to dnjournal.com, Link Freedom Group filed more than 300 applications, apparently making it the most active applicant in this round. ICANN is expected to reveal full details of applied-for strings and applicants in the coming months.

Source: dnjournal.com

SIDN identifies 2,900 gambling-related domains under .nl

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:49:19 GMT

Dutch registry SIDN has found around 2,900 domains under the .nl extension linked to gambling content. The registry says about half of these are expired domains that new owners acquired to host links to gambling sites. The finding highlights how abandoned domains can be repurposed for unrelated or unwanted content.

Source: domainbrief.de