Method for administering a top-level domain

A method for administering an n-level domain across a domain name system (DNS), the method comprising:

• receiving, in a registry database, a watch list of at least one known malicious domain name;
• propagating the watch list across at least one n-level domain;
• receiving, at a registry, a request to register a domain name on behalf of a registrant;
• accessing the watch list to determine if the requested domain name corresponds to one of the malicious domain names in the watch list;
• processing the requested domain name such that:
• if the requested domain name does not correspond to a known malicious domain name, the requested domain name is added to the DNS;
• if the requested domain name corresponds to a known malicious domain name, the requested domain name does not appear in the DNS after more than a predetermined number of DNS update operations;
• and
• information regarding the domain name registration request is stored in the registry database, even if the requested domain name corresponds to a known malicious domain name.

A method for administering a top-level domain across a domain name system (DNS), the method comprising:

• receiving, at a registry for the top-level domain, a request from a registrar, to register a domain name for a registrant;
• initiating a name check of the requested domain name to determine if the requested domain name corresponds to a known malicious domain name;
• determining that the requested domain name corresponds to the known malicious domain name based on the name check that was initiated;
• and
• storing information regarding the request for domain name registration in a registry database.