ARCHIVED
21 April 2012
ICANN continues to work to reopen the TLD application system. On 19 April we posted a video interview with Jeff Moss, ICANN's Vice President and Chief Security Officer, answering questions about the glitch. The FAQs below supplement that interview.
Thank you for your patience as we work to reopen the application system.
- Why did ICANN take the TLD application system offline?
- What happened?
- Why did it happen?
- Was any other data beyond the file names and user names viewable?
- Was the system hacked?
- Was there any data loss or data corruption?
- Who saw what?
- When did you first learn about the problem?
- When is the application system going to reopen?
- How will applicants be notified of the reopening?
- Why is it taking so long to reopen the application system?
- When was the application system taken offline?
- Did "<" and ">" characters cause the glitch? Was it caused by XML schemas?
- Was the application system suffering due to overload? Was system response slow?
- Have the affected applicants been contacted?
- Did you test the application system before launching?
- How will you ensure this glitch doesn’t recur?
- Will the 30 April announcement of the applied-for domain names be postponed?
- When will ICANN reveal the applied-for domain names?
- Why did ICANN take the TLD application system offline?
ICANN took the TLD application system offline in order to protect applicant data.
| back to top |
- What happened?
A technical issue in the system allowed a limited number of users to view a limited number of other users' file names and user names in certain scenarios.
| back to top |
- Why did it happen?
There was a problem with the way the application system handled attachments. Under certain circumstances, an interrupted deletion process resulted in applicants being able to see file names and user names that belonged to other applicants.
| back to top |
- Was any other data beyond the file names and user names viewable?
An intensive review has produced no evidence that any data beyond the file names and user names could be seen or accessed by other users, nor have we received any reports of any users being able to see any other users' data.
| back to top |
- Was the system hacked?
We have absolutely no indication that the system was hacked or the target of any type of cyber-attack.
| back to top |
- Was there any data loss or data corruption?
We have no evidence that this issue caused any corruption or loss of data.
| back to top |
- Who saw what?
We are confident that we will be able to obtain a complete list of applicants' file names and user names that were potentially viewable and applicants that had the ability to see them.
| back to top |
- When did you first learn about the problem?
We have identified a user report on 19 March that appears to be the first report related to this technical issue. Although we believed the issues identified in the initial and subsequent reports had been addressed, on 12 April we confirmed that there was a continuing unresolved issue and we took the system offline.
| back to top |
- When is the application system going to reopen?
We will provide an update on the timing of the reopening no later than Friday, 27 April.
| back to top |
- How will applicants be notified of the reopening?
ICANN will continue to provide regular updates via the TAS Interruption Update page (http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/tas/interruption-updates). We will also notify TAS users directly when the window is reopened.
| back to top |
- Why is it taking so long to reopen the application system?
We are committed to reopening the system as soon as we can confirm that the problem has been resolved and testing has been completed. We also want to inform all applicants, before we reopen, whether they have been affected by the glitch.
| back to top |
- When was the application system taken offline?
The system was taken offline at 4:30 a.m. PDT/11:30 GMT/UTC on 12 April 2012.
| back to top |
- Did "<" and ">" characters cause the glitch? Was it caused by XML schemas?
No, "<" or "angle bracket" characters did not cause or contribute to the glitch.
| back to top |
- Was the application system suffering due to overload? Was system response slow?
System response had slowed due to increased user volume as we approached the end of the application period. Steps are being taken to improve response times when the system reopens.
| back to top |
- Have the affected applicants been contacted?
Not yet. Applicants will be informed when the research is complete and the numbers are confirmed.
| back to top |
- Did you test the application system before launching?
Yes, ICANN performed regression tests and other standard system tests prior to launch.
| back to top |
- How will you ensure this glitch doesn’t recur?
The safety and security of the application system is a top priority. We will not reopen the system until we can confirm that the problem has been resolved and testing has been completed. This is one reason for the time it is taking to re-open.
| back to top |
- Will the 30 April announcement of the applied-for domain names be postponed?
Yes.
| back to top |
- When will ICANN reveal the applied-for domain names?
The date when applied-for TLDs are announced will follow announcement of the application system re-opening date. Please check the TAS Interruption Update page (http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/tas/interruption-updates) for the latest information.
| back to top |