Without too much effort, hackers could spoil the little confidence remaining in the internet.

Cyber-criminals are already exploiting the <A HREF="http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/who-should-sign.html">Domain Name System hack</A> uncovered by security researcher Dan Kaminsky this summer - while ICANN and VeriSign contend for control of the new security protocol, DNSSEC.