Difference between revisions of "NIC.cm"

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| type            = Government
 
| type            = Government
 
| industry        = Registry
 
| industry        = Registry
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| founded        =  
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| founded        = 2002
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| founders        =  
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| founders        = Paul Biya
 
| ownership      =  
 
| ownership      =  
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| headquarters    =  
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| headquarters    = Bastos, Rue Ambassade De Chine
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| country        =  
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Yaoundé
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| country        = Cameroon
 
| businesses      =  
 
| businesses      =  
 
| products        =  
 
| products        =  
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}}
 
}}
  
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The '''Network Information Center Cameroon''' is operated by Cameroon's National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC). Since 2010, ANTIC has been in charge of registry operations for the .cm [[ccTLD]].
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The '''Network Information Center Cameroon''' is operated by Agence Nationale des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (ANTIC) (English: National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies). ANTIC has been in charge of registry operations for the .cm [[ccTLD]]. since 2010. ANTIC is a public administrative establishment and legal entity with financial autonomy. It is administered by a Board of Directors comprising a Board Chair and 11 Board members. It has a Head Office under the authority of a General Manager, assisted by a Deputy General Manager. ANTIC is placed under the technical and financial supervision of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Finance respectively. Its Head Office is based in Yaounde.<ref name="about">[https://nic.cm/en/presentation/ nic.cm: Presentation</ref>
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
 +
 
===Transition from CAMTEL===
 
===Transition from CAMTEL===
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The .cm domain has been a source of trouble throughout its history. In 2006, CAMTEL, the former registry operator, set up a [[Wildcarding|wild card DNS]] entry covering all unregistered .cm domains. This "[[Typosquatting|typosquatting]]" maneuver redirected traffic to a site with pay-per-click advertisements.<ref>[[CAMTEL]]</ref> In 2009, McAfee's "Mal Web" Report identified .cm as the most dangerous space on the internet, with nearly 40% of its active URLs containing some sort of threat to PCs.<ref>[https://www.cnet.com/news/mcafee-uncovers-riskiest-domains/ CNET.com - McAfee Uncovers the Riskiest Domains]</ref>
 
  
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It seems likely that the proliferation of typosquatting sites, and the associated bad press,<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/2009/12/01/cybercrime-mcafee-spyware-technology-cio-network-cameroon.html?sh=522de3cd20c8 Forbes.com: Cameroon's Cybercrime Boom] (covering the release of the McAfee report), December 2009</ref> was partially responsible for the introduction of new regulations. In December 2010, the government of Cameroon passed Law No. 2010/13, which among other things placed management of the .cm ccTLD in the hands of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC).<ref name="cmredel">[https://nic.cm/en/2018/09/18/redelegation-du-cm/ Nic.cm - Support for .cm redelegation]</ref><ref>[http://fakoamerica.typepad.com/files/law_relating_to_cybersecurity_and_cybercriminality-1.pdf English version of Law No. 2010/013 (PDF)]</ref> While many saw the move as a crackdown on malicious uses of the TLD,<ref>[https://www.africt.com/2013/11/cameroon-law-on-cybersecurity-and-cybercriminality.html AfrICT.com - Cameroon Passes Law on Cybersecurity]</ref>, others asserted that the law was largely intended to chill online voices critical of the Cameroonian government.<ref>[https://journals.co.za/doi/10.10520/EJC135792 Rhodes Journalism Review: Cracking Down on the Diaspora and Dissent] No. 31, p. 68 ([https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC135792 PDF])</ref> For its part, ANTIC emphasized cybersecurity and reducing criminality through responsible internet governance, and launched an awareness campaign around those issues.<ref>[https://antic.cm/index.php/en/news-feed/press-releases/229-information-and-sensitisation-of-the-populations-of-the-centre-and-littoral-regions-on-cyber-security.html ANTIC.cm - Press Release]</ref>
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In 2002, the Head of State of Cameroon, by Decree No. 2002/092 of 8 April 2002, set up ANTIC and gave it the mandate of promoting and following up Government’s action in the domain of ICTs. It was then placed under the supervisory authority of the Presidency of the Republic.
 +
 
 +
In 2006, CAMTEL, the former registry operator, set up a [[Wildcarding|wild card DNS]] entry covering all unregistered .cm domains. This "[[Typosquatting|typosquatting]]" maneuver redirected traffic to a site with pay-per-click advertisements.<ref>[[CAMTEL]]</ref>  
  
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While it appears that ANTIC intended to initiate a redelegation request with IANA,<ref name="cmredel" /> IANA has no record of such a request.<ref>[https://www.iana.org/reports IANA.org - Reports]</ref>
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In December 2010, the government of Cameroon passed Law No. 2010/13, which among other things placed management of the .cm ccTLD in the hands of ANTIC.<ref name="cmredel">[https://nic.cm/en/2018/09/18/redelegation-du-cm/ Nic.cm - Support for .cm redelegation]</ref><ref>[http://fakoamerica.typepad.com/files/law_relating_to_cybersecurity_and_cybercriminality-1.pdf English version of Law No. 2010/013 (PDF)]</ref> The proliferation of typosquatting websites and the associated bad press following a McAfee report about it<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/2009/12/01/cybercrime-mcafee-spyware-technology-cio-network-cameroon.html?sh=522de3cd20c8 Forbes.com: Cameroon's Cybercrime Boom] (covering the release of the McAfee report), December 2009</ref> might have been partially responsible for the introduction of new regulations.
  
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===Post-Transition===
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However, the ccTLD managing transition was only completed and accepted by [[IANA]] in 2024, following ANTIC's submitted a transfer request to IANA in September 2023.<ref>[https://www.iana.org/reports/2024/cm-report-20240121.html IANA: Report on the Transfer of the .CM (Cameroon) top-level domain to Agence Nationale des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication]</ref>
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The .cm TLD remains a persistent source of typosquatting schemes. In 2018 Krebs on Security discussed the findings of security consultant Matthew Chambers regarding a slew of brand name typosquatting .cm domains.<ref>[https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/03/omitting-the-o-in-com-could-be-costly/ Krebs on Security: Omitting the "o" in com could be costly]</ref> Chambers subsequently provided an update to his research in the spring of 2018:
 
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<blockquote>Sites are still redirecting to scareware publishers, locking up machines, and creating audio alerts. See screenshots and video below. Sites will serve up innocuous ads at times, and others messages will be fake alerts or Flash upgrades. Take note that the results will vary, and there’s a good chance that these sites are looking for “unique visitors.” It’s possible that you will have a different outcome based on your browser, location, or other factors, like language.<ref>[https://blog.infostruction.com/2018/03/21/wrong-spelling-brand-name-hijack/ Infostruction Blog - Wrong-spelling Brand Name Hijack]</ref></blockquote>
 
  
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Chambers listed many misspellings of popular sites that were still active at the time.
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 21:29, 2 September 2024

Nic cm.png
Type: Government
Industry: Registry
Founded: 2002
Founder(s): Paul Biya
Headquarters: Bastos, Rue Ambassade De Chine

Yaoundé

Country: Cameroon
Email: dotcm [at] antic.cm
Website: NIC.cm

The Network Information Center Cameroon is operated by Agence Nationale des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (ANTIC) (English: National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies). ANTIC has been in charge of registry operations for the .cm ccTLD. since 2010. ANTIC is a public administrative establishment and legal entity with financial autonomy. It is administered by a Board of Directors comprising a Board Chair and 11 Board members. It has a Head Office under the authority of a General Manager, assisted by a Deputy General Manager. ANTIC is placed under the technical and financial supervision of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Finance respectively. Its Head Office is based in Yaounde.[1]

History[edit | edit source]

Transition from CAMTEL[edit | edit source]

In 2002, the Head of State of Cameroon, by Decree No. 2002/092 of 8 April 2002, set up ANTIC and gave it the mandate of promoting and following up Government’s action in the domain of ICTs. It was then placed under the supervisory authority of the Presidency of the Republic.

In 2006, CAMTEL, the former registry operator, set up a wild card DNS entry covering all unregistered .cm domains. This "typosquatting" maneuver redirected traffic to a site with pay-per-click advertisements.[2]

In December 2010, the government of Cameroon passed Law No. 2010/13, which among other things placed management of the .cm ccTLD in the hands of ANTIC.[3][4] The proliferation of typosquatting websites and the associated bad press following a McAfee report about it[5] might have been partially responsible for the introduction of new regulations.

However, the ccTLD managing transition was only completed and accepted by IANA in 2024, following ANTIC's submitted a transfer request to IANA in September 2023.[6]


References[edit | edit source]

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