New Study Ranks .XXX as One of Safest TLDs

LEESBURG, Va. — .XXX is one of the safest top-level domains in terms of detecting and mitigating malware and other abusive devices, according to a new study released by Internet security firm Architelos.

Only two other TLDs — .tel and .no — ranked ahead of .XXX in  Architelos' Namespace Quality Index.

.XXX was placed by Architelos in the "excellent" category, while such popular TLDs, including .com and .org, ended up in the "exercise caution" slot.

"The stats on .XXX [and other TLDs] represent abusive domain listed on blocklists per million domains under management," Architelos' Alexa Raad told XBIZ.

"The types of abuse include domains used for phishing, malware, botnet command-and-control and domains advertised via spam sent from botnets and by other abusive means."

Stuart Lawley, the CEO of .XXX operator ICM Registry, told XBIZ that the study's findings are substantive.

"We are immensely proud of this [ranking] being effectively the second safest TLDs in existence — .tel doesn't really count as you can't host a website," Lawley said.

Since its rollout in late 2011, every .XXX domain has been scanned for vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, browser exploits and phishing sites, reputational analysis and malware.

ICM Registry reported in May that it had  206,000 .XXX domain names in the system. Defensive blocks accounted for about 85,000 .XXX names, leaving 120,000 recurring names.

Last year, ICM Registry announced its applications for additional TLDs, including .sex, .porn and .adult. ICANN has not yet decided on its applications.

Architelos also said in its latest study that the total number of active abusive  domains  increased 25 percent from December 2012 to May 2013. The Internet has more than 250 million domain names.

"More abusive domains are being found than removed," Architelos said. "As a result the namespace quality of the Internet is decreasing. Within  the  first five  months of 2013, across  all TLDs, more than 400,000 new abusive domains were found and added to blocklists on a monthly basis."

View Architelos study

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC: California's Device-Based AV Law Does Not Apply to Adult

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) put out an advisory today explaining that California's new device-based age verification law does not apply to adult websites.

Reena Sky Launches New Paysite

Reena Sky has launched her new official paysite, ILoveReenaSky.com.

NextGen Payment Joins ASACP as Corporate Sponsor

NextGen Payment has signed on as the latest corporate sponsor for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP).

Lauren Phillips, Derek Kage Cap AEBN's Top Stars for 3rd Quarter of 2025

AEBN has revealed its most popular performers in straight and gay theaters for the third quarter of 2025.

XBIZ 2026 Conference to Debut All-New Company Lounges, Community Track

The event website for XBIZ 2026 is now live, unveiling details for North America’s largest adult industry conference, including two all-new show features: Company Lounges and a Community Track.

Mymember.site Integrates VR Functionality

Mymember.site has added virtual reality playback capability to its website management platform.

Texas Patti to Launch Fetish Platform 'EmpireDom'

Performer and content creator Texas Patti is launching a new platform for doms and fetish creators, EmpireDom.com.

Ohio AG Threatens Action Against 'Major' Adult Sites Over AV Law

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his office is sending "notice of violation" letters to 19 adult websites for failure to comply with the state's recently enacted age verification law.

Chaturbate Announces 2025 Music Contest Winners

Chaturbate has revealed the winners of its 2025 music competition.

2026 XBIZ Exec Awards Pre-Noms Open With Debut of New 'Impact' Honors

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the pre-nomination period for the 2026 XBIZ Exec Awards, the adult industry’s premier career honor, begins today and runs through Oct. 14.

Show More