Update: August 21, 2006 - Policies changed back for the .cm ccTLD. Read "Cameroon turns wildcarding on (yet again)" for more. We're not going to keep updating this post with the status.
Update: August 10, 2006 - Policies changed for the .cm ccTLD. Read ".cm is no longer a typo" for more.
Cameroon, a country on the western coast of Africa recently decided to put a wildcard entry in .cm, their IANA assigned Country-Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD). CNET has a pretty good article covering what they did.
Around the blogosphere people have asked us what we could do to fix it for them. I'm annoyed we have to deal with this, but happy that users are starting to realize that they need the ability to manage their DNS as a part of managing their network. The Cameroonian ccTLD operators (or the business they've outsourced this service to) makes the argument that they are "helping you" find what you're looking for. If they wanted to help you they'd just correct .cm to .com for all domains that didn't exist in the .cm namespace, or do nothing at all.
Some users have asked us how many .cm domains there are and what they might be. We have published a complete list (as of yesterday) of all .cm domains. We've gone through and shown that for such a small ccTLD they've already had quite a few parked domains in their zone. This list is at the bottom of this post. (This data is all public information, don't worry.)
How to act
Decide for yourself how you want .cm to work. With OpenDNS, you have a choice.
- Already using OpenDNS? Head to the Account page.
- Not yet using OpenDNS? Take two minutes and Get Started today.
Mini FAQ
Are you going to show me ads just like the .cm operator does?
No! We're doing this because you shouldn't be punished or distracted because you forgot to type an 'o' when surfing the net. We will seamlessly correct the full URL for you with no ads, popups, or page in the middle. By enabling the feature you know exactly what's going to happen: google.cm is going to take you to google.com.
Will I still get to real .cm domains if I turn on .cm wildcard filtering?
Yes! We will not filter real .cm domains such as www.airfrance.cm and others. It should also be noted we've never filtered any real domains, even with typo correction. The only exception is phishing sites that you've asked us to block.
Will you do this for other wildcarded ccTLDs like .ws, .ph and .cd?
You tell us. We are offering the fix for .cm because our users appreciate that we transparently correct mistyped domains like google.cm to google.com. For other wildcarded ccTLDs, we'll be listening to our users and offering useful choices based on those requests.
What if there are new valid .cm domains? Will those work?
Of course!
What happens if I turn off typo-correction and turn on .cm wildcard filtering?
If you turn off typo correction and turn on .cm wildcard filtering you will get an RCODE=3 DNS response (commonly called NXDOMAIN) as if the wildcard didn't exist. In your browser you'd get the default behavior which is probably either an MSN search page on IE, or a "host not found" page with Firefox.
Again, if you are already using OpenDNS just head to the Account page or take two minutes and Get Started today.
A listing of all .cm domains
Legend
| Regular .cm Domain |
| Wildcard Of Entire Zone |
| Parked Page w/ Ads |
| Broken Or Misconfigured Zone |
All domains in the Cameroon ccTLD “.cm”
(List accurate as of Tuesday, August 8, 2006)
| All domains in .cm | Nameservers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| *.cm. | → | A | 72.51.27.58 |
| ac3l.cm. | → | NS | ns1.premierspas.biz. ns2.premierspas.biz. |
| adsnet.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| afrique-france2001.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. nina.afrique-france2001.cm. |
| airfrance.cm. | → | NS | webaf1.airfrance.fr. lasvegas.airfrance.fr. |
| alizes.cm. | → | NS | pcsakon.alizes.cm. |
| amadeus.cm. | → | NS | ns1.amadeus.cm. ns2.amadeus.cm. |
| amitybank.cm. | → | NS | ns.amitybank.cm. ns2.iccnet.cm. |
| annuairecamtel.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| anuel.cm. | → | NS | ns1.infomaniak.ch. ns2.infomaniak.ch. |
| armp.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| art.cm. | → | NS | dns1.creolink.com. dns2.creolink.com. |
| artac.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| assemblee-nationale.cm. | → | NS | ns1.cm.refer.org. aupelf.refer.org. |
| avis.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| bdanet.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| bicec.cm. | → | NS | benoue.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| bosch.cm. | → | NS | gwa.fe.bosch.de. gwa2.fe.bosch.de. |
| britishcouncil.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns3.iccnet.cm. |
| bureaulumiere.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| cam-educ.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| cameroon-tribune.cm. | → | NS | web.cameroon-tribune.cm. ns1.iccnet2000.com. |
| cameroonfertilizers.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.cmanet.cm. |
| cameroonhealthresearch.cm. | → | NS | ns1.lnhi.net. ns2.lnhi.net. |
| cameroonscience.cm. | → | NS | ns.cybernum.org. ns1.cybernum.org. |
| cami.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| camnet.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. benoue.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| camnet2.cm. | → | NS | ns1.camnet2.cm. |
| camnet3.cm. | → | NS | ns1.camnet3.cm. |
| campusvert.cm. | → | NS | ns1.infomaniak.ch. ns2.infomaniak.ch. |
| camrail.cm. | → | NS | appolo.c-si.fr. ariane.c-si.fr. |
| camtel.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| camteldla.cm. | → | NS | server.camteldla.cm. |
| cbm.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. netfinityyde.cbm.cm. |
| cenadi.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. netstar.cenadi.cm. cenadim1.cenadi.cm. |
| cenet.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. admin.cenet.cm. |
| cerac.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. svrcerac.cerac.cm. |
| cfaogroup.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| cheaptickets.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| cigate.cm. | → | NS | cenadi.cigate.cm. |
| leslions.cm.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| cnosc.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| cnps.cm. | → | NS | fusih.cnps.cm. |
| fusih.cnps.cm. | → | NS | 195.24.201.7.cm. |
| co.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. tchad.co.cm. |
| congresrdpc.cm. | → | NS | linsvr.congresrdpc.cm. |
| connect.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| corenofi.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| cpdmcongress.cm. | → | NS | linsvr.cpdmcongress.cm. |
| credit-suisse-trust.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| credit-swiss.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| creditlyonnais.cm. | → | NS | dns1.creolink.com. dns2.creolink.com. |
| creditsuisse-trust.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| creditsuissetrust.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| creditswiss.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| creolink.cm. | → | NS | dns1.creolink.cm. dns2.creolink.com. |
| crtv.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns3.iccnet.cm. |
| cs-group.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| cs-life.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| cs-trust.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| csam.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.csfb.com. ns-2.csfb.com. |
| csfb.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.csfb.com. ns-2.csfb.com. |
| csg.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| csgroup.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| cslife.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| cspb.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| cstrust.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| ctpl.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| cyberix.cm. | → | NS | ns13.zoneedit.com. ns18.zoneedit.com. |
| dgre.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. dgresvr.dgre.cm. |
| dictionary.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| diplocam.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns3.iccnet.cm. |
| download.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| dpcminat.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| dsx.cm. | → | NS | ns1.douala1.com. |
| esstic-uy2.cm. | → | NS | dns1.esstic-uy2.cm. |
| europcar.cm. | → | NS | indom10.indomco.com. indom20.indomco.net. |
| fayadort.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| fcb.cm. | → | NS | ns.univerdi.com. ns1.univerdi.com. |
| finances.cm. | → | NS | minefi.finances.cm. |
| flowers.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| fne.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| fonds-routier.cm. | → | NS | dns1.creolink.com. dns2.creolink.com. |
| france-cam.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. aupelf.refer.org. serveur.cm.refer.org. |
| freshdelmonte.cm. | → | NS | ns1.zodns.com. ns1.lanechange.net. |
| games.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| gcnet.cm. | → | NS | dja.gcnet.cm. kim.camnet.cm. |
| /*geocities.cm. | → | NS | ns.levonline.com. |
| /*geocities.cm. | → | NS | ns2.levonline.com. |
| /*geocities.cm. | → | NS | ns3.levonline.com.*/.cm. |
| globalnet.cm. | → | NS | dns1.globalnet.cm. dns2.globalnet.cm. |
| gov.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbapit.gov.cm. |
| minpostel.gov.cm. | → | NS | nyos.minpostel.gov.cm. |
| hgy.cm. | → | NS | web.hgy.cm. mail.cameroun-online.com. |
| holcim.cm. | → | NS | ns01ch.holcim.com. ns01us.holcim.com. |
| hotelsawa.cm. | → | NS | partenariat.sni.cm. |
| hotjobs.cm. | → | NS | ns1.ny.genx.net. ns2.ny.genx.net. |
| iccnet.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns3.iccnet.cm. |
| icrafon.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| impots.cm. | → | NS | di.impots.cm. |
| infotel.cm. | → | NS | dns1.globalnet.cm. |
| intelcam.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. paatchi.intelcam.cm. |
| its.cm. | → | NS | its-smsserveur.its.cm. |
| joker.cm. | → | NS | bow.scm.cm. rva.fcr.francetelecom.fr. |
| kpmg-cmr.cm. | → | NS | sfacc.kpmg-cmr.cm. |
| lasvegas.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| lifttel.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| maetur.cm. | → | NS | ns1.dnsjunction.com. ns2.dnsjunction.com. |
| messinaline.cm. | → | NS | dns1.fastweb.it. |
| microlog.cm. | → | NS | mississipi.microlog.cm. |
| minader.cm. | → | NS | serveur.minader.cm. |
| minef.cm. | → | NS | forest.minef.cm. |
| minepat.cm. | → | NS | soo.minepat.cm. sanaga.minepat.cm. |
| minsante.cm. | → | NS | ns1.dnsjunction.com. ns2.dnsjunction.com. |
| mobilis.cm. | → | NS | bow.scm.cm. rva.fcr.francetelecom.fr. |
| monster.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| mtn.cm. | → | NS | Ns1.jev.co.za. Ns2.jev.co.za. |
| mtnns.cm. | → | NS | dns1.globalnet.cm. dns2.globalnet.cm. |
| navitrans.cm. | → | NS | dns1.fastweb.it. |
| netshop.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. ops.netshop.cm. |
| oapi.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. linux.oapi.cm. |
| oit.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| oms.cm. | → | NS | dns1.creolink.com. mailer.oms.cm. |
| onr.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| onu.cm. | → | NS | inet01.cm.undp.org. |
| orange.cm. | → | NS | ns0.orange.cm. |
| orangemail.cm. | → | NS | ns0.orange.cm. |
| orangeworld.cm. | → | NS | ns0.orange.cm. |
| paradis.cm. | → | NS | benoue.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| pasteur.cm. | → | NS | ns1.satwise.com. ns2.satwise.com. |
| pmuc.cm. | → | NS | bonanjo01.pmuc.cm. bonanjo02.pmuc.cm. |
| pr-gervaismendoze.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| prc.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. lionsvr1.prc.cm. lionsvr2.prc.cm. |
| prcs.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. sgpr-serv.prcs.cm. |
| presbyterian-church.cm. | → | NS | alpha2.officeco.ch. alpha3.officeco.ch. |
| radius.cm. | → | NS | dja.radius.cm. |
| razel.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. ns1.razel.cm. |
| rdpcpdm.cm. | → | NS | rdpcserv.rdpcpdm.cm. |
| rdpcserv.rdpcpdm.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. |
| realtor.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| refinance.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| rent.cm. | → | NS | ns.rackspace.com. ns2.rackspace.com. |
| restaurants.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbam.camnet.cm. |
| ric.cm. | → | NS | dns1.creolink.com. |
| rolex.cm. | → | NS | ns1.gva.ch.colt.net. ns1.zrh1.ch.colt.net. |
| sabc.cm. | → | NS | ns1.sabc.cm. ns2.sabc.cm. |
| scb-creditlyonnais.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. scbclc.scb-creditlyonnais.cm. |
| scm.cm. | → | NS | bow.scm.cm. rva.fcr.francetelecom.fr. |
| sdnp.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. tangmbo.sdnp.cm. |
| seanet.cm. | → | NS | ns3.schlund.de. ns4.schlund.de. seanets.de. |
| sgbc.cm. | → | NS | ns2.domicile.fr. ns3.domicile.fr. |
| sho-cameroun.cm. | → | NS | ns1.douala1.com. ns2.douala1.com. ns3.douala1.com. |
| side.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns3.iccnet.cm. |
| sigmakalon.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns30787.ovh.net. |
| simpay.cm. | → | NS | ns2.lovellsnames.org. ns3.lovellsnames.org. |
| sinpay.cm. | → | NS | ns2.lovellsnames.org. ns3.lovellsnames.org. |
| snac.cm. | → | NS | ns3.slconseil.com. romeo.hebergement-discount.com. juliette.hebergement-discount.com. |
| snh.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. snhnet.snh.cm. |
| sni.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. partenariat.sni.cm. |
| snv.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns3.iccnet.cm. |
| socada.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| socapalm.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. |
| sodecoton.cm. | → | NS | ns1.sodecoton.cm. ns2.sodecoton.cm. |
| sogecam.cm. | → | NS | ns.fr.socgen.com. ns.socgen.com. dns.cadinet.ma. |
| sonara.cm. | → | NS | ns1.sonara.cm. ns1.lanechange.net. |
| stanchart.cm. | → | NS | ns.domainnetwork.se. ns2.domainnetwork.se. |
| standard-chartered.cm. | → | NS | ns.domainnetwork.se. ns2.domainnetwork.se. |
| standardchartered.cm. | → | NS | ns.domainnetwork.se. ns2.domainnetwork.se. |
| standardcharteredbank.cm. | → | NS | ns.domainnetwork.se. ns2.domainnetwork.se. |
| statistics-cameroon.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. mbamcamnet.cm. |
| sumoca.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| superdoll.cm. | → | NS | ns1.delta-informatique.com. douala.adsnet.cm. |
| synopsys.cm. | → | NS | auth50.ns.uu.net. asbestos.lmc.com. dnsmaster.synopsys.com. dnsmaster2.synopsys.com. |
| ticad-it.cm. | → | NS | ns.ticad-it.cm. |
| tmc.cm. | → | NS | dns2.creolink.com. |
| total.cm. | → | NS | kim.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| tourisme.cm. | → | NS | ns1.dnsjunction.com. ns2.dnsjunction.com. |
| creditsuisse.trust.cm. | → | NS | ns-1.credit-suisse.com. ns-2.credit-suisse.com. |
| u-douala.cm. | → | NS | dns2.creolink.com. |
| ub.cm. | → | NS | ns1.lanechange.net. ns2.lanechange.net. dns1.creolink.com. yaounde2.un.cm. |
| unilex.cm. | → | NS | benoue.camnet.cm. sanaga.camnet.cm. |
| uninet.cm. | → | NS | diamond.uninet.cm. |
| uy2-soa.cm. | → | NS | emergency.uy2-soa.cm. cum-uy2-soa.cm. |
| viasim.cm. | → | NS | ns2.lovellsnames.org. ns3.lovellsnames.org. |
| worldbank.cm. | → | NS | dns1.worldbank.cm. |
| wwf.cm. | → | NS | ns2.iccnet.cm. ns3.iccnet.cm. |
| yahoo.cm. | → | NS | ns1.yahoo.com. ns5.yahoo.com. |
Stuart
Nice move, guys!
I personally will *not* be turning it on, but as long as you ensure that any new .cm domains are unaffected, I’d have no qualms whatsoever in switching it on for those with a little less online experience.
posted on August 9th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
John Roberts
New .cm domains will not be affected.
posted on August 9th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
wyckedone
How can they not claim this is typo-squatting? Redirecting all invalid domains that end in .cm to an page of ads is a really bright move. Everyone loves websites full of ad links. Some might say “Well, OpenDNS does the same thing with invalid domains” but you can:
a. choose not to use OpenDNS or
b. disable typo correction
What Cameroon is doing offers no choice at all. Good move adding the option to correct invalid .cm domains for OpenDNS users. I’m sure some people will find it a useful option.
posted on August 9th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
clock — watching time, the only true currency » » Not even 200 valid domains in Cameroon
[…] At work we spent a lot of time today providing OpenDNS users with a way to avoid the wildcarding of the .cm TLD (CNET News.com article). You can read all about the choices available at “Cameroon takes the ‘o’ out of .com.” […]
posted on August 9th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
ExistDifferently.com » Archives » OpenDNS steps up to Cameroon .cm challenge
[…] on their blog! Thanks to David Ulevitch and his team! Posted in General | Trackback | del.icio.us | Top OfPage […]
posted on August 10th, 2006 at 11:25 am
tmtypo.com » Typo Squatting - Ipwalk Blog Typo-squatting celebrity babies
[…] OpenDNS Blog > Cameroon takes the o out of .com How can they not claim this is typo-squatting? Redirecting all invalid domains that end in .cm to an page of ads is a really bright move. … […]
posted on August 24th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
Joe
How about some stats on typo correction… wouldn’t it be possible for OpenDNS to publish some statistics how many requests were typo-corrected and how many of those changed .cm into .com…
Before Google appeared on the scene, my favorite search engine was Altavista.com — however I often typed it as altavisita.com (don’t ask me why). At some point in the late 90’s, I decided to registered the domain name altavisita.com and redirect it to altavista.com. There were a couple 100 requests each day for that misspelling.
When Google appeared, I didn’t need altavisita.com any more and let the name expire. Now it’s being used by some other company to serve up some ads…
As OpenDNS handles a big infrastructure, I’m curious how many misspelled requests you get a day… your numbers could provide a better overview on global spelling than my little altavisita experiment in the 90’s…
Cheers,
Joe.
posted on September 1st, 2006 at 5:15 am
tmtypo.com » Typo Squatting - Cameroon registry accused of typo-squatting .com | CNET News.com
[…] OpenDNS Blog > Cameroon takes the o out of .com OpenDNS Blog > Cameroon takes the o out of .com How can they not claim this is typo-squatting? Redirecting all invalid domains that end in .cm to an page of … […]
posted on September 15th, 2006 at 12:59 am
Anonymous
When I read the comment that mentioned about setting up a common-misspelling domain to redirect to altavista.com, I thought, why doesn’t someone simply register google.cm and point it to google.com? Then everybody, not just OpenDNS users, wouldn’t have to put up with the ad page for that misspelling. Granted, it would be overkill to do this for lots of misspellings, because it would be a big hassle for whoever did the domain registering, as well as locking those domains from legitimate use by anyone else–but for google.cm, it might be a good idea.
Even better, Google could just set up a “Google Cameroon” web site to go with all its other country-specific web sites–such as google.ca, google.fr, etc.
posted on April 9th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
ernesto perez
typos from colombian domains are quite usual here.
for example I use to write: www.hotmail.co and forgot the m and so on.
it will be nice to help the colombian ones, but there are more domains in colombia than in cameroon
posted on November 20th, 2007 at 7:59 pm