Whois Results for Microsoft.Com

Have you tried looking up Microsoft.Com using whois.crsnic.net (or rs.internic.net)?

This is what you will get back! (edited output)

Whois Server Version 1.3

Domain names in the .com, .net, and .org domains can now be registered with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net for detailed information.

	
MICROSOFT.COM.WILL.CRASH.IN.6MN.ORG
MICROSOFT.COM.WILL.BE.....WITH.MY.SPANNER.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.WANADOODOO.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.SUX.BUT.PYROFREAK.ORG.RULEZ....
MICROSOFT.COM.SHOULD.....BECAUSE.LINUXISGOD.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.RAWKZ.MUH.WERLD.MENTALFLOSS.CA
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.SOON.GOING.TO.THE....
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.NOT.SEXYCOOL.ORG
MICROSOFT.COM.HAS.ITS.OWN.CRACKLAB.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.FILLS.....BELLIGERENCE.NET
...

The Explanation

No, no one has cracked Microsoft's website or the registry database. It is done by simply creating name servers with those names.

If you look carefully, all those additional entries are not top level domain names. They are all name servers. The registry not only stores information on domain names but also the name servers. So, if the owner of myowndomain00.com creates a name server called, say

"microsoft.com.is.whatever.myowndomain00.com"

and registers it at their registrar as a valid name server, the information will find its way into the registry zone file.

When you do a simple lookup for just "microsoft.com" the whois server pulls out all entries that start with 'microsoft.com'. These entries will include not only domain names but also name servers.

Looking up COM and NET Domains, the right way

So how do you find the actual information for Microsoft.Com?

Add the word domain followed by a blank space before the actual domain name. So in this case do a lookup for

domain microsoft.com

instead of just microsoft.com.

The above tells the whois server to pull out only domain name records and not name servers.

Note that it is better to do the above for all Com and Net domain lookups, since the same problem can occur with any domain.