Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) enable users to enter the URL of the website in a browser in his native language. Earlier this was limited only to Latin characters; however, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) now permits Internationalized Domain Names.

ICANN has also opened its policy to permit new generic Top Level Domain Names (gTLDs), which were earlier limited to .INFO, .MOBI, etc. Soon one can apply for the name of one’s company or a city such as .kolkata or .delhi or .mumbai.

With this in mind, the Department of Information Technology (DIT), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and Afilias have organized a one-day conference in Hyderabad to explain to the relevant stake holders the concept of the new gTLDs, the application process, the timelines and financial implications of the same.

The conference will also cover iinitiatives undertaken by DIT to ensure that Indian languages find their rightful place in Internationalized Domain Names.

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Less than nine months after the DNS root was signed, the rollout of DNSSEC across the Internet's top-level domains is approaching the tipping point. Thanks to the combined efforts of registries around the world, the new security protocol will soon be available to the majority of domain name registrants in almost a quarter of all TLDs.

As a reminder, DNSSEC — Domain Name System Security Extensions — is a trust upgrade to the decades-old DNS protocol. Using DNSSEC, resolvers are able to ensure that no one or nothing has tampered with DNS messages by validating their cryptographic signatures. The technology goes a long way in protecting Internet users from attacks, like cache poisoning, that have the potential to undermine the trust we all place in electronic commerce.

According to ICANN's latest statistics, more than 20% of the world's TLDs have now implemented DNSSEC in their zones: 69 are signed, and 62 have also published the signatures in the root zone, meaning they are fully DNSSEC-compatible. This rapid uptake has been driven by the concerted efforts of TLD registries. Since the landmark DNSSEC signing of .org in 2010, Afilias has been rolling out the technology to all of the gTLDs and ccTLDs for which we provide registry services as part of our “Project Safeguard.” Registrants of .info domains can now use DNSSEC, and we have also announced the signing of the .in, .me, .gi, .mn and .sc zones, among others.

Other ccTLDs have also recently been signed, but two of the largest recent DNSSEC deployments have occurred in .net and .com, which together account for more than half of the world's existing domain name registrations. While the .net implementation is now complete, .com is currently serving DNSSEC information that deliberately cannot be validated. The .com domain will not be fully "switched on" until the end of the month. When this happens, of the seven "original" gTLDs, only .mil and .int will remain unsigned.

DNSSEC availability in .com will also prove to be a landmark in terms of raising awareness among domain name registrants. It's great that so many TLDs are being signed, but this is of little use to Web surfers until second-level registrants also begin to sign their zones. Registrars are already launching services to simplify what is a complex technology to deploy and manage, but these need to be used.

When major corporations that have their primary website at a .com domain begin to publicly deploy the technology, DNSSEC will likely begin to market itself in a viral manner. Much like a newly launched TLD needs well-known brands to adopt its domains, a few big "anchor tenants" will also prove priceless for spreading the word about DNSSEC. When major e-commerce, financial services and social networking sites start to openly embrace the specification, it should become a competitive imperative for others to do the same so that they avoid appearing less secure than their rivals. With a bit of luck, at this time next year, I will be writing about the encouraging level of DNSSEC adoption at the second level of the domain name system, rather than at the top level.

Deployment of Domain Name System Security Extensions Enhances global security for India

NEW DELHI – 9 November 2010 – Afilias, a global provider of Internet infrastructure services, today announced that it has enabled Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) for the .IN country code top-level domain (TLD) for the country of India, improving global security for this domain which houses over 700,000 .IN domains. .IN was officially signed on November 4, 2010 and its Delegation Signer (DS) records are expected to be entered into the DNS Root by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) shortly, allowing the .IN zone to be validated using DNSSEC.

“Afilias has been a leader in DNSSEC deployment, and is proud to provide this state-of–the-art level of security for the .IN domain,” said Ram Mohan, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Afilias. “Afilias has now secured more top-level domains with DNSSEC than any other registry provider. DNSSEC is a critical step forward for India and serves as a foundation to ensure that the .IN TLD remains among the most secure domains in the world.”

DNSSEC protects the DNS from cache poisoning exploits which can allow malicious entities to intercept an Internet users’ request to access a website, and redirect or eavesdrop on the user without their knowledge, and with no ability to reassert control. DNSSEC introduces digital signatures to the DNS infrastructure and automatically ensures that users are not hijacked and taken to an unintended destination.

“Security is a key priority for India and we are pleased to be among the leaders taking the initiative to support the adoption of DNSSEC,” said Mr. Ravi Shanker, Chief Executive Officer for the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), the .IN registry operator. “Our efforts in working with Afilias to improve .IN’s security illustrate our commitment to enhance India’s sovereign space on the Web and improve the value it provides to Internet users around the world.”

Click Here to see the signed Certificate allowing .IN to be secured with DNSSEC.

Afilias completed the largest registry DNSSEC deployment on behalf of the Public Interest Registry when it enabled DNSSEC for .ORG in 2009-2010. The signing of the .IN domain represents the tenth top-level domain (TLD) that Afilias has secured with DNSSEC. These signing efforts are part of Afilias’ “Project Safeguard” initiative, which will rollout DNSSEC across its registry and DNS platforms.

Once the DS records are entered into the root, Afilias will activate a “friends and family” period that will allow the public to gain experience with a select group of .IN second level domain names that have also been signed.

About Afilias

Afilias is a global provider of Internet infrastructure services that connect people to their data. Afilias’ reliable, secure, scalable, and globally available technology supports a wide range of applications including Internet domain registry services, Managed DNS, and services in the RFID and supply chain market with its Afilias Discovery Services. For more information on Afilias please visit www.afilias.info.

Many ccTLD registries are contemplating deploying Domain Name Security Extensions (DNSSEC). This Webinar will review the “lessons learned” from major players in the DNS industry who have taken a leadership position in deploying DNSSEC among TLDs and the Root infrastructure. This Webinar will give you key questions to ask yourself when deciding upon DNSSEC deployment parameters and timeline. It will also give you a good understanding of the infrastructure changes required for your registry and DNS systems to support DNSSEC.

Moderator:
John Kane, VP Corporate Services - Afilias

Panelists:
Rickard Bellgrim - .SE registry
Lauren Price - .ORG, The Public Interest Registry
Steve Crocker – Shinkuro and ICANN SSAC
Ram Mohan, CTO - Afilias

Afilias is a sponsor of the 13th LACNIC conference. 

Afilias and NIXI are sponsoring this industry forum.

Afilias is a Gold Sponsor of the APRICOT 2010 Meeting.  The ten-day long summit consists of seminars, workshops, tutorials, conference sessions, birds-of-a-feather (BOFs), and other forums all with the goal of spreading and sharing the knowledge required to operate the Internet within the Asia Pacific region.

Afilias is a sponsor of ICANN no. 37

BEIJING - August 6, 2009 - Afilias, a global provider of Internet infrastructure services, today announced that it has joined the Chinese Domain Name Consortium (CDNC).  Afilias will work with the CDNC to coordinate and collaborate with other registries to reach Chinese language Internet users with Internationalized Domain Name technology.  Afilias is a registry services provider to nearly 15 million domain names, across 15 top-level domains (TLDs).

"The importance of the Chinese domain name market cannot be understated," said Mr. Ram Mohan, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. "With more Chinese language Internet users than the entire population of the US, and the availability of domain names in the Chinese language using Internationalized Domain Name technology, China is a high priority market for Afilias."

"The accession of Afilias has strengthened CDNC. It is a great showcase of the increasing interest and influence towards Web addressing in Chinese characters, particularly given that ICANN is planning to launch its new policies on new TLD and IDN applications," said Professor Qian Hualin, the Co-Chairman of CDNC.

CDNC was established in Beijing by four Network Information Centers (NIC) in the Chinese speaking community -- CNNIC, TWNIC, HKIRC and MONIC in 2000. Its aim is to harmonize, promote and self-regulate registry operations and services of Chinese domain names. Members of CDNC recently revised their Articles of Association in June 2009 to make the organization more accessible and collaborative with the international Internet community, and expand membership to other registries.  

Professor Shian-Shyong Tseng, Co-Chairman of CDNC emphasized that "CDNC welcomes Afilias to the CDNC and looks forward to working closely to further the growth of Chinese Domain Names." 

Mr. Mohan noted that "Membership in CDNC will provide Afilias with an excellent platform to exchange ideas and to initiate collaboration with other registries. We look forward to discussing issues such as administration standards for Chinese domain names, variant management at the second and top level, 3-character domains, as well as DNS security issues like spam, phishing and botnets."

Mr. Mohan visited the Secretariat of CDNC and CNNIC on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 to deliver briefing reports on relevant DNS security and IDN technology developments. During his visit, Mr. Mohan commended CNNIC for its leadership in Chinese domain name promotion and development, as well as its remarkable achievements in DNS security and its high-performance SLA. The members of CDNC, DotAsia's CEO Mr. Edmon Chung and Vice President Mr. Ching Chiao, were also among the delegates of this visit. 

 Ram Mohan, EVP of Afilias met the Director General of CNNIC, Mr. Mao Wei.

 

About Afilias

Afilias is a global provider of Internet infrastructure services that connect people to their data. Afilias' reliable, secure, scalable, and globally available technology supports a wide range of applications including Internet domain registry services, Managed DNS, and services in the RFID and supply chain market with its Afilias Discovery Services.

Afilias is a Gold Sponsor of the South Asian Network Operators Group's (SANOG) 14th Meeting.