.cm
{{Short description|Internet country code top-level domain for Cameroon}}
{{Distinguish|.com}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox Top level domain
|name=.cm
|image=Netcom.cm logo.png
|introduced=29 April 1995
|type=Country code top-level domain
|status=Active
|registry=Agence Nationale des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication
|sponsor=Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cameroon{{cite web|title=Department of Information and Communication Technologies Infrastructure and Access Networks|url=https://www.minpostel.gov.cm/index.php/en/le-ministere/les-directions/diratic|website=minpostel.gov.cm|publisher=Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cameroon|access-date=12 April 2018|language=en-gb|quote=Following up the management of the “.cm” national Internet domain}}
|intendeduse=Entities connected with {{CMR}}
|actualuse=Some use in Cameroon; sometimes used in typosquatting due to misspellings of .com domains
|restrictions=None; Some labels reserved for government or educational agencies
|structure=Registrations are made directly at the second level or at the third level beneath various second level domains
|document=[https://www.antic.cm/index.php/en/cm-policy.html '.cm' policy ]
|disputepolicy=[https://nic.cm/documents/politique%20de%20gestion%20des%20litiges.pdf Dispute management policy]
|website=[https://antic.cm/index.php/en/component/k2/item/309-management-of-cm-ip.html ANTIC]
[https://nic.cm/ nic.cm]
|caption=Logo used by Netcom, one of the official .cm domain registrars}}
.cm is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Republic of Cameroon.
History
In August 2006, it was reported that the .cm registry had set up a wildcard DNS record, so that all unregistered domains in this top-level domain go to a parking page with paid search links. This was likely intended to take advantage of typographical errors by users attempting to reach .com web sites.{{cite web |last=Berryhill |first=John |url=http://www.circleid.com/posts/nation_of_cameroon_typosquats_com_space/ |title=Nation of Cameroon Typo-Squats the Entire .com Space |publisher= Circleid.com |date= August 5, 2006 |access-date=August 16, 2006}}
Auctions of .cm domains have been as high as $81,000 in 2009 for what pitchmen have termed "prime real estate".{{cite web |title=Hotels.cm sells for $81,100 |url=http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905092503/http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |archive-date=2009-09-05 |url-status=live |access-date=2009-09-03 |date=2009-09-02 }} However, some bloggers have noted that nothing of any real value was actually put up for auction, despite the price war.{{cite web |title=CM Traffic Domains not for sale |author=Ed Muller |url=http://www.namemon.com/opinions/67-cm-domains-the-rich-got-richer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906141811/http://www.namemon.com/opinions/67-cm-domains-the-rich-got-richer |archive-date=2009-09-06 |url-status=live |access-date=2009-09-03 }}
Namejet.com, the official auction site for the .CM domain registrar Netcom.cm, sold over $500,000 in .cm domain names the first day and over $2 million in the first week.{{cite web |url=http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |url-status=live |title=NameJet Hauls In $500K In 1st Day .CM Auctions & That's Only For The Domains On My List |website=Thedomains.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905092503/http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |archive-date=2009-09-05 |access-date=2009-09-03 |date=2009-09-02 }}
Reputation
In a report published in December 2009 by McAfee, "Mapping the Mal Web - The world's riskiest domain", .cm was reportedly the riskiest domain in the world, with 36.7% of the sites posing a security risk to PCs.{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html |publisher=CNET |title=McAfee uncovers riskiest domains |access-date=April 29, 2010 |archive-date=December 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203124210/http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html |url-status=dead }} It is widely assumed that malicious domain programmers rely on inadvertent misspellings of well-trafficked websites ending in ".com" to lure unsuspecting users to their domains.
The .cm top-level domain is also used for domain name hacks by legitimate organizations, such as the CyanogenMod project, which used get.cm as an easily remembered URL shortener for distributing versions of its software, and The Hill, which uses hill.cm as a URL shortener when linking to its articles on social media.{{Cite tweet|number=1249782921013182470|user=thehill|title=JUST IN: Macron extends France's coronavirus lockdown to May 11 http://hill.cm/6ThxCda|author=The Hill|date=2020-04-13}}{{bettersource|date=May 2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/06/01/100050989/index.htm Article about the man who profits from redirecting all the unregistered .cm domains]
- [https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/cm.html IANA .cm whois information]
- [http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html cnet.com: McAfee uncovers riskiest domains] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203124210/http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html |date=2012-12-03 }}
{{CcTLD}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cm}}
Category:Country code top-level domains
Category:Communications in Cameroon
Category:Science and technology in Cameroon