Domain name registrar Alpnames has been closed by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) - the authority that oversees domain name sales and management. Alpnames, which has a registered head office on the island of Gibraltar, was founded in 2013 and offered a traditional range of web hosting and related services. These included domain name and web hosting services, with a focus on cheap domain name registration. ICANN’s action was a result of inactivity at the company that gave it the appearance of being closed for business.
Visitors to the company’s website are now simply greeted by an ‘Error 526’ page that suggests the site has an invalid SSL certificate. A number of customers had reported not being able to log into their accounts. This situation has left hundreds of thousands of paying customers at risk of losing their domains. As a registrar, the company was suspected of being behind gTLD domains which the SpamHaus Project put on their blacklist.
The
ICANN website suggested that it “has terminated the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) with registrar Alpnames Limited (IANA #1857), effective immediately. The RAA was terminated after the ICANN organization determined that Alpnames was no longer performing required registrar functions as specified in the agreement. These functions include allowing existing registrants to renew domain name registrations and processing new registrations”.
It appears that Alpnames used the ‘LogicBoxes’ registrar platform to manage its domains. As a result people who have domains registered with Alpnames might be able to connect with their accounts through LogicBoxes. Users need to access Alpnames’ LogicBoxes control panel at apal516804.myorderbox.com. They should then choose “customer” from the dropdown box menu and add their Alpnames username and password.
Have you been affected by Alpnames’ closure? Let us know your experience. Add your comments below.
