August 14th, 2015
IANA transition and DNS security at CTO’s annual Forum in September
London, 13 August 2015 – The management of names, numbers and protocols of the Internet has been a long-standing cross-hemispheric battle. Come September, consultation will close on how the stewardship of these resources should be transitioned from the bastion of the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to the wider globally-distributed Internet community.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – under the proposals – will have a role in managing the resources in the new Internet Assigned Names Authority (IANA) regime through an independent subsidiary under contract with the five regional Internet registries and the Internet Engineering Task Force.
Security, stability and resilience of the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) is now more crucial than ever. Facing fortified desktops, network security and next-generation firewalls on the application layer, cybercriminals are now targeting the DNS, the foundation of the Internet itself. Because of its critical role in establishing all forms of connectivity across the Internet, DNS traffic is always allowed to pass through firewalls. Therefore, over the last two years, DNS has become one of the most vulnerable points of exposure in service provider networks.
Cybersecurity is a priority area for the CTO. Guided by the values captured in the Charter of the Commonwealth, the CTO has developed the Commonwealth Cybergovernance Model, which was adopted by Commonwealth member countries in March 2014. Based on this model, the Commonwealth Approach for National Cybersecurity Strategies is being showcased at a series of regional and national workshops aimed at building the capacity of national stakeholders in cybersecurity.
The CTO also works with member governments, member institutions and partner organisations to convert the CTO’s model for cyberspace governance into practical actions and to implement national cybersecurity strategies.
About the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation is the oldest and largest Commonwealth membership organisation in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and uses its experience and expertise to support members in using ICTs to deliver effective development interventions that enrich, empower, equalise and emancipate people within the Commonwealth and beyond. More information about us here
Further Information:
For more information on the programme please contact:
The Communications Team
44 (0) 208 600 3800
44 (0) 208 600 3819
