By David Hamilton, theWHIR.com
October 15, 2008 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Likely spurred by domain name system flaws found earlier this year by security researcher Dan Kaminsky, the US government is taking on the task of securing DNS flaws and is calling on civilians for suggestions on how to implement domain name and addressing system security extension protocols.
According to a Government document dated October 9, the US Department of Commerce is looking for advice on how DNSSEC could best be deployed until November 24. DNS protocols govern all communication on the Internet as the standard for locating and addressing networking equipment. Digitally signing DNS using DNSSEC allows DNS records to carry a digital signature that secures records in the DNS root zone, where online devices find an address in a domain.
Security issues currently arise within the current DNS protocols because hackers can use a different IP address for a Web site, conning users into thinking they are viewing the real site when they are actually visiting a phishing site.
The Department of Commerce recognizes that governments along with experts and industry leaders have a stake in the deployment of DNSSEC. “The Department remains committed to preserving the security and stability of the DNS and is exploring the implementation of DNSSEC in the DNS hierarchy, including at the authoritative root zone level,” the document stated. “Accordingly, the Department is issuing this notice to invite comments regarding DNSSEC implementation at the root zone.”
According to an IDG News Service report Tuesday, DNSSEC will add new steps to how changes to the root zone are published. Currently, top-level domain operators send changes to the IANA division of the ICANN, which then sends the changes to the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a division of the US Department of Commerce. Internet infrastructure services provider VeriSign (www.verisign.com) then adjusts the root file and directs it to the 13 root servers around the world.
“The heavy involvement of the US government, as well as the interests of VeriSign, in how the Internet’s addressing system is administered has drawn criticism that the process is too US-centric,” stated the IDG article. “And there appears to be a battle brewing over which entity will manage the cryptographic keys required to sign the root zone file.”
Regardless of the political struggles that may ensue from DNS upgrading, this call for suggestions by the US government shows the administration’s commitment to strengthening the Internet’s addressing system globally.
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