[anti-abuse-wg] Time Stamps (?)

In message <4ca19715.Egik5zh+ES4NMVmk%neitzel at gaertner.de>, 
Martin Neitzel <neitzel at gaertner.de> wrote:

>> So anyway, has it ever been considered to add date/time stamps to RIPE
>> whois records, at least for record _creation_ if not also for last
>> modification time?
>
>
>Uh, just because I myself often have problems to make foreign whois
>servers tell me what I need:
>
>	We are not perhaps just missing the '-B' option the RIPE whois
>	server requires to show "changed:" attributes?

Ummm... I must sheepishly admit that yes, I didn't even know about -B
until now.  Thank you!

(Someone will probably slap me and tell me to go away and RTFM now.  That's
OK.  I guess I deserve it in this case.)

>I don't know how much they can be maliciously set/removed, I never
>try to.  Leo certainly does.  Does know, I mean. :-)

Yes, I'd really like to know about that.  I do believe that in the case
of the ARIN WHOIS records, it is ARIN itself that is setting the "RegDate:"
and "Updated:" fields (which would tend to make those values reliable) but
don't quote me on that, because I'm not completely sure.  I just know that
in prior cases when I've seen hijackings, and where it would have been
very much to the hijacker's benefit to be able to fiddle those field values
(to help to hide their crimes) the ARIN "RegDate:" and "Updated:" fields
still do seem to have accurate info.

So, I gather that in the case of the RIPE Changed: fields, anybody can
put anything they want in there (?)  Including no date info at all?

If so, then that would be...ahh... how should I say it?... suboptimal.

>Sorry if I missed the point and stated something obvious.

Nope. Not obvious to me anyway.  Thanks.


Regards,
rfg