Email hoax prompts GMX weekend blackout

A bogus email led to a service blackout over the weekend for one of Germany's top email service providers, GMX.

Many of the company's four million users had their email addresses deleted after global domain name registrar, Network Solutions, acted on instructions sent by a trouble-maker posing as GMX's CEO, Karsten Schramm.

GMX offers two domain name alternatives to its customers: gmx.de and gmx.net. The latter was immediately deleted following the bogus instructions to alter their domain name server (DNS) location. This left all customers using that domain - an undisclosed proportion of GMX's total customer base - without email services over the weekend.

The company blames Network Solutions for neglecting proper security procedures. "The correct way would have been to check the email was really from Karsten Schramm. Normally they would do that - I don't know why they didn't check this time," said a spokesperson.

Eva Heil, marketing manager at GMX, complained that Network Solutions was slow to act on the problem. She said: "We called Network Solutions on Friday last week, and they promised to resolve the problem. However, they didn't do it until after the weekend."

Cheryl Regan, director of Network Solutions' corporate communications, said: "This does happen from time to time. There are three levels of security that you can choose - sometimes customers choose a level of security that isn't high enough."

An unnamed source in the domain name industry said: "Network Solutions has a fairly laid-back attitude to these processes. This needs to be tightened up. The best way would be for Network Solutions to have a secure area where companies like GMX can go to do these sort of adjustments. It's bizarre that a multi-million dollar company like Network Solutions hasn't bothered to put one in place".