Microsoft bought the Corp.com domain to prevent it from being used by hackers . Criminals could use it to steal Windows credentials , track users ' movements , and send malicious files .
For the past 26 years, Corp.com has been owned by Mike O'Connor. O'Connor was afraid to sell the domain, as it could be used by malicious hackers.
This is because Microsoft, in the past, recommended that companies use “CORP” as their Activity Directory domain name when configuring a new Windows network.
As DNS and the Internet become more tightly integrated with Windows domains, there can be confusion with the DNS name and the actual corp.com Internet domain.
Thus, Windows may connect to the corp.com Internet domain instead of the Windows domain (when attempting to access resources such as network shares and logins).
Therefore, if the corp.com Internet domain were used by malicious hackers, it could send malicious files or even steal users, as accounts and hashed passwords are sent to the server when attempting to access network shares.
If hackers gain access to hashed passwords, they can use programs, such as HashCat, to quickly crack passwords.
Microsoft acquires the corp.com
According to Brian Krebs, when O'Conner put corp.com up for sale for $1.7 million, he hoped that Microsoft would buy it to protect customers and that it wouldn't end up in the hands of cybercriminals or government hacking groups.
Krebs said Microsoft agreed to purchase the domain, but we do not know the final price.
“To help protect systems, we encourage customers to implement sound securitywhen planning internal domain and network names,” Microsoft said in a statement. The company also said it has previously issued security advisories and updates to help customers stay safe. “In our ongoing commitment to customer security, we have also acquired the Corp.com domain.”
However, even though Microsoft holds the domain, it should be noted that problems with the DNS name can continue if Microsoft ever decides to use the domain name on the Internet.
