October 11 is a surprisingly important day for the domain world — from a six-figure two-letter .com to the cryptographic keys protecting the entire DNS.
2012 — RH.com Is Revealed as a $304,000 Purchase
On October 11, 2012, it was revealed through an SEC filing that Restoration Hardware had paid $304,000 for RH.com earlier that year.
Two letters. $304,000.
Domainers call that an asset. Everyone else calls it a very expensive typing shortcut.
2018 — The Internet Changes Its Key
On October 11, 2018, ICANN successfully performed the first-ever rollover of the DNS root Key Signing Key (KSK). The previous root key had been in use since 2010.
Basically, the Internet changed its password.
Fortunately, nobody clicked “Forgot password?”
2026 — And Today, the Internet Changes It Again
On October 11, 2026, the DNS root began using the new KSK-2024 key. This is only the second root KSK rollover in DNS history.
So while domainers were checking auctions today, the infrastructure underneath every domain name on Earth was quietly changing one of its most important cryptographic keys.
Just another Sunday in domaining.
“The security, stability and resiliency of the domain name system is our core mission.”
— Göran Marby, former ICANN President and CEO
Three dates. One expensive .com and two moments when the Internet changed its keys.
Have a great day… and even better domain sales !
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