View source for .cm

{{Short description|Internet country code top-level domain for Cameroon}}
{{Distinguish|.com}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox Top level domain
|name=.cm
|image=Netcom.cm logo.png
|introduced=29 April 1995
|type=[[Country code top-level domain]]
|status=Active
|registry=Agence Nationale des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication
|sponsor=Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cameroon<ref>{{cite web|title=Department of Information and Communication Technologies Infrastructure and Access Networks|url=https://www.minpostel.gov.cm/index.php/en/le-ministere/les-directions/diratic|website=minpostel.gov.cm|publisher=Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cameroon|access-date=12 April 2018|language=en-gb|quote=Following up the management of the “.cm” national Internet domain}}</ref>
|intendeduse=Entities connected with [[Cameroon]]
|actualuse=Some use in Cameroon; sometimes used in [[typosquatting]] due to misspellings of [[.com]] domains
|restrictions=None; Some labels reserved for government or educational agencies
|structure=Registrations are made directly at the second level or at the third level beneath various second level domains
|document=[https://www.antic.cm/index.php/en/cm-policy.html '.cm' policy ]
|disputepolicy=<!--[http://www.netcom.cm/files/Netcom_Complaint_Resolution.pdf Netcom Complaint Resolution]-->[https://nic.cm/documents/politique%20de%20gestion%20des%20litiges.pdf Dispute management policy]
|website=[https://antic.cm/index.php/en/component/k2/item/309-management-of-cm-ip.html ANTIC]<br/>[https://nic.cm/ nic.cm]
|caption=Logo used by Netcom, one of the official .cm domain registrars}}

'''.cm''' is the [[country code top-level domain]] (ccTLD) for the [[Republic of Cameroon]]. 

==History==
In August 2006, it was reported that the .cm registry had set up a [[wildcard DNS record]], so that all unregistered domains in this top-level domain go to a [[Domain parking|parking page]] with paid search links. This was likely intended to [[typosquatting|take advantage of typographical error]]s by users attempting to reach [[.com]] web sites.<ref name="berryhill">{{cite web |last=Berryhill |first=John |url=http://www.circleid.com/posts/nation_of_cameroon_typosquats_com_space/ |title=Nation of Cameroon Typo-Squats the Entire .com Space |publisher= Circleid.com |date= August 5, 2006 |access-date=August 16, 2006}}</ref>

Auctions of .cm domains have been as high as $81,000 in 2009 for what pitchmen have termed "prime real estate".<ref>{{cite web |title=Hotels.cm sells for $81,100 |url=http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905092503/http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |archive-date=2009-09-05 |url-status=live |access-date=2009-09-03 |date=2009-09-02 }}</ref> However, some bloggers have noted that nothing of any real value was actually put up for auction, despite the price war.<ref>{{cite web |title=CM Traffic Domains not for sale |author=Ed Muller <!-- BOT GENERATED AUTHOR --> |url=http://www.namemon.com/opinions/67-cm-domains-the-rich-got-richer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906141811/http://www.namemon.com/opinions/67-cm-domains-the-rich-got-richer |archive-date=2009-09-06 |url-status=live |access-date=2009-09-03 }}</ref>
Namejet.com, the official auction site for the .CM domain registrar Netcom.cm, sold over $500,000 in .cm domain names the first day and over $2 million in the first week.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |url-status=live |title=NameJet Hauls In $500K In 1st Day .CM Auctions & That's Only For The Domains On My List |website=Thedomains.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905092503/http://www.thedomains.com/2009/09/01/namejet-hauls-in-500k-in-cm-first-day-sales-thats-only-the-ones-on-my-list/ |archive-date=2009-09-05 |access-date=2009-09-03 |date=2009-09-02 }}</ref>

==Reputation==
In a report published in December 2009 by [[McAfee]], "Mapping the Mal Web - The world's riskiest domain", .cm was reportedly the riskiest domain in the world, with 36.7% of the sites posing a security risk to PCs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html |publisher=[[CNET]] |title=McAfee uncovers riskiest domains |access-date=April 29, 2010 |archive-date=December 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203124210/http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is widely assumed that malicious domain programmers rely on [[Typosquatting|inadvertent misspellings of well-trafficked websites]] ending in ".com" to lure unsuspecting users to their domains.

The .cm top-level domain is also used for [[domain name hack]]s by legitimate organizations, such as the [[CyanogenMod]] project, which used <code>get.cm</code> as an easily remembered [[URL shortener]] for distributing versions of its software, and [[The Hill (newspaper)|''The Hill'']], which uses <code>hill.cm</code> as a [[URL shortener]] when linking to its articles on social media.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1249782921013182470|user=thehill|title=JUST IN: Macron extends France's coronavirus lockdown to May 11 http://hill.cm/6ThxCda|author=The Hill|date=2020-04-13}}</ref>{{bettersource|date=May 2021}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/06/01/100050989/index.htm Article about the man who profits from redirecting all the unregistered .cm domains]
*[https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/cm.html IANA .cm whois information]
*[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html cnet.com: McAfee uncovers riskiest domains] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203124210/http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10407530-83.html |date=2012-12-03 }}
{{CcTLD}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cm}}
[[Category:Country code top-level domains]]
[[Category:Communications in Cameroon]]
[[Category:Science and technology in Cameroon]]

[[he:סיומת אינטרנט#טבלת סיומות המדינות]]
[[sv:Toppdomän#C]]