DNS Security

Will a Global TAR Make DNSSEC Stick?

Two US Government contractors and the National Institute of Science and Technology have released a white paper, "Statement of Needed Internet Capability," detailing possible alternatives and considerations for a Trust Anchor Repository (TAR) to support DNSSEC deployment. The document was released through the DNSSEC-Deployment Group this week with a request that it be circulated as widely as possible to gather feedback. A Trust Anchor Repository (TAR) refers to the concept of a DNS resource record store that contains secure entry point keys... more

Domain Pulse 2008: Day 2 Focuses on DNS Security

Day two of Domain Pulse 2008 last Friday (see review of day one) focused on online security issues giving the techies amongst us details of security issues, and the more policy-orientated amongst us something to chew on in a few other presentations. Kieren McCarthy, these days of ICANN, also gave some insights into the drawn out sex.com drama with more twists and turns than the average soap opera has in a year! And Randy Bush outlined the problems with IPv6. Among other presentations... more

Security Through Obscurity as an Institution

One of my staff members pointed me to an article by Mikko Hyppönen in Foreign Policy. In this article Mikko argues that a new top level domain (TLD) like .bank for some reason would prevent on-line fraud, at least partially. Mikko seems to be arguing that with a dedicated TLD registry for financial institutions and a fee high enough to act as an entry barrier you would have a trustworthy bank domains that would be immune against today's phising attempts... more

The DNSSEC “Onus of Reality Check” Shifted to gTLD Administrations by ICANN

Last month, there was an exchange of letters between a gTLD administration and ICANN about DNSSEC deployment. This gTLD administration is PIR or Public Interest Registry, the gTLD administration for the .org TLD. Interestingly, PIR is a non-profit organization that makes significant contributions to ISOC (Internet Society) initiatives: thus, both ICANN and PIR are organizations dedicated to the well-being of the Internet. more

DNSSEC Deployment at the Root

The DNSSEC is a security protocol for providing cryptographic assurance (i.e. using the public key cryptography digital signature technology) to the data retrieved from the DNS distributed database (RFC4033). DNSSEC deployment at the root is said to be subject to politics, but there is seldom detailed discussion about this "DNS root signing" politics. Actually, DNSSEC deployment requires more than signing the DNS root zone data; it also involves secure delegations from the root to the TLDs, and DNSSEC deployment by TLD administrations (I omit other participants involvement as my focus is policy around the DNS root). There is a dose of naivety in the idea of detailing the political aspects of the DNS root, but I volunteer! My perspective is an interested observer. more

DNS Hijacking Campaign Targets 12 Cryptocurrency Sites as Registrar-Level Compromise Investigated

A coordinated wave of DNS hijackings redirected visitors from 12 cryptocurrency websites to wallet-draining pages, with affected operators reporting registrar-level compromises involving domain services associated with Vercel Domains and Name.com. more

Quad9’s Planned Departure From France Shows Why Internet Infrastructure Policy Needs a Wider Lens

Quad9's planned withdrawal from France over DNS blocking orders highlights the tension between copyright enforcement and Internet security, raising questions about whether infrastructure-level restrictions impose consequences beyond their intended targets. more

Attackers Hijack Government and School DNS Records to Promote Illegal Gambling

Infoblox researchers uncovered two operations exploiting government and educational DNS infrastructure across three countries to promote illegal gambling, exposing security weaknesses that conventional website monitoring may overlook. more

The Phishing Domain You Missed Shares a Nameserver With the One You Caught

Nameserver-based searches can uncover related domains that conventional phishing monitoring misses. An investigation of shared DNS infrastructure reveals how registration patterns, nameserver pairs and timely zone data can help identify suspicious domain clusters. more

The Domain Trust Badge: Making Anti-Abuse Work Visible

The Domain Trust Badge pilot introduces a voluntary framework for registries and registrars to demonstrate effective anti-abuse practices through 17 requirements, evidence-based validation and a new metric measuring abuse mitigation performance. more

ICANN87 in Bali Puts DNS Abuse and New gTLD Implementation in Focus

ICANN87 in Bali brings DNS abuse mitigation, registrant protections and the next gTLD round into focus as policymakers examine implementation challenges affecting domain registries, registrars and Internet users. more

ICANN Opens Consultation on Security Requirements for DNSSEC DS Automation

ICANN has opened a consultation on security requirements for automated DNSSEC Delegation Signer record management, seeking input on safeguards that could enable faster registry approvals while protecting DNSSEC validation and operational stability. more

Common Beliefs About DNSSEC Put to the Test: An Invitation to Fact-Check Your Assumptions

With its perception still tinged by decade-old notions, DNSSEC in 2026 bears little resemblance to its troubled early years. Here's what the evidence says about its benefits, cost, and availability today. more

DNS Hijacks Across Three ccTLDs Linked to 32 Unauthorized HTTPS Certificates

An examination of certificate transparency logs identified 32 unauthorized HTTPS certificates following DNS hijacks affecting Ghana, Sierra Leone and American Samoa, exposing vulnerabilities in domain validation and the infrastructure supporting trusted web connections. more

ICANN Study Links 56% of Malicious Domains to Related Registrations

ICANN researchers identified associated domains for 56.4% of malicious registrations studied, introducing a public-data detection method that could inform DNS abuse investigations and proposed registrar obligations. more