(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Internet infrastructure services and domain name registry technology provider Afilias (www.afilias.info) has signed the .org zone with domain name security extensions for the Public Interest Registry (www.pir.org), the company behind the .org top-level domain name, effectively making it the first open TLD to fight DNS hijacking using DNSSEC.
According to Afilias’ Tuesday announcement, the .org zone is being signed in phases with an initial period allowing key partners to test the signed zone. The .org registry is now in a quiet period in which Afilias and PIR will test the signed zone and perform live tests ensuring the best possible end user experience for DNSSEC-signed .org site owners and visitors.
“This is a major step forward in securing the Internet’s core infrastructure, as .org is the largest Internet domain to date to deploy DNSSEC,” Afilias executive vice president and chief technology officer Ram Mohan said in a statement. “We congratulate PIR on this historic accomplishment that will benefit .org website owners and their visitors with state of the art protection from DNS hijacking and man-in-the-middle attacks.”
PIR chief executive officer Alexa Raad said the DNSSEC signing will lead the industry in the implementation of safer Internet infrastructure. “We encourage broader adoption across the industry so that all domain owners who deploy this technology will be assured that their visitors safely reach their website,” Raad said in a statement.
Afilias provides DNSSEC services to both generic and country code TLDs, and is currently recruiting beta testers for its 1-Click DNSSECTM Managed product (www.afilias.info/1-click-dnssec), designed to solve the operational challenges of this new technology and allow organizations and enterprises to deploy DNSSEC with a simple click of the mouse.
In late April, Brian Cute, vice president of Afilias’ discovery services division, was named to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Online Safety and Technology Working Group, established by the US government’s “Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act,” in order to promote online safety through different educational efforts.
It also joined the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (www.maawg.org) as part of its ongoing domain name anti-abuse efforts, making it the first domain name registry operator to become a member organization.
In May, the WHIR interviewed Afilias senior vice president and chief marketing officer Roland LaPlante, who explained Afilias’ long history of supporting online safety and its recent participation with new organizations and initiatives.
