Security News > 2020 > April > Microsoft Buys Corp.com

At issue is a problem known as "Namespace collision," a situation where domain names intended to be used exclusively on an internal company network end up overlapping with domains that can resolve normally on the open Internet.

Windows computers on an internal corporate network validate other things on that network using a Microsoft innovation called Active Directory, which is the umbrella term for a broad range of identity-related services in Windows environments.

A core part of the way these things find each other involves a Windows feature called "DNS name devolution," which is a kind of network shorthand that makes it easier to find other computers or servers without having to specify a full, legitimate domain name for those resources.

Things can get far trickier with an internal Windows domain that does not map back to a second-level domain the organization actually owns and controls.

In a written statement, Microsoft said it acquired the domain to protect its customers.

News URL

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/04/microsoft_buys_.html