Eugene Kashpureff is up to his old tricks again. The former towing company owner-cum-operator of the AlterNic alternative domain name space, has snatched back control of the service after handing the reins back to the group of people who are financially backing the effort just last week. He did it because he said the person in charge of it, Richard Sexton, had run it into the ground and let it get hacked. It’s dead in the water, said Kashpureff adding that he didn’t known whether it was by manipulation or lack of motivation. When we spoke Friday afternoon he was still cleaning up the mess. In response to Kashpureff’s accusations, Sexton described the machine as a cheesy Linux box and said that every time Kashpureff hands over control, mysteriously, within a couple of days, it dies. He said Kashpureff had never really given him full control of the server anyhow and was trying to damage his reputation within the industry. Sexton runs a consultancy and claims to be one of the first 1000 people to obtain an internet domain name. Sexton was running the AlterNic along with Marc Hurst, who runs a registry in Ontario. AlterNic is an alternative to the internet’s InterNic service, which brings together multiple registrars of top-level domain names, such as .web and .per. The InterNic is where you go to register .com, .net and .org and is operated by Network Solutions Inc under a federal contract. In order for a TLD to work on the internet, it must be included in a root server somewhere on the net and a group of registrars chose to join together as AlterNic a few years ago. Last summer Kashpureff was charged with federal wire fraud after he re-directed the InterNic to the AlterNic site. Kashpureff returned to the US from Canada to face charges brought by the FBI. He has been on bail since Christmas Eve and took back control almost straight away, only to give it back to Sexton last week. Kashpureff faxed a request to NSI Thursday night, and the transfer was granted to Kashpureff, despite Sexton’s objection. In fact, Sexton said the root password he had been given was changed without his knowledge, denying him access. As part of any domain name registration, there are four points of contact: the organization that intends to use the domain; administration; technical; and billing contact. When Kashpureff handed power to Sexton, he did not change the organization part and therefore he could get the other contacts changed to himself under NSI’s policy. So, Sexton says he never really did get back control from Kashpureff in any real sense anyway. Hurst informed the FBI in New York of Kashpureff’s action in the form of a new complaint, separate from the NSI re-direction and said the FBI was very interested in the latest developments. He claimed it could be constituted a violation of the terms of his bail. Kashpureff called that a ludicrous suggestion. I haven’t hacked anything, I haven’t denied anyone service, he protested. Sexton accused Kashpureff of self aggrandizement, and of acting like a spoilt kid. And in his opinion, AlterNic members would abandon Kashpureff and his service in favor of alternative ways of establishing alternative root servers on the net. Incidentally, Kashpureff said no date has been set for his trial, but it will be in Brooklyn Federal Court in New York.
