Notice of Inquiry to Examine Security of the Domain Name and Addressing System

Created by Rodney J. Petersen (EDUCAUSE) on October 9, 2008

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) regarding “Enhancing the Security and Stability of the Internet’s Domain Name and Addressing System”. The NOI begins with the following background:

The Department of Commerce (Department) notes the increase in interest among government, technology experts and industry representatives regarding the deployment of Domain Name and Addressing System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) at the root zone level. 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. Accordingly, the Department is issuing this notice to invite comments regarding DNSSEC implementation at the root zone.

The NOI seeks comments in response to the following general questions:

In terms of addressing cache poisoning and similar attacks on the DNS, are there alternatives to DNSSEC that should be considered prior to or in conjunction with consideration of signing the root?
What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of DNSSEC relative to other possible security measures that may be available?
What factors impede widespread deployment of DNSSEC?
What additional steps are required to facilitate broader DNSSEC deployment and use?
What end user education may be required to ensure that end users possess the ability to utilize and benefit from DNSSEC?

The NOI also contains a set of general and operational questions concerning signing of the root zone. A number of possible models exist to implement the signing of the root zone. Accordingly, six possible process flow models are presented in Appendix A for consideration and comment.

Comments are due on November 24, 2008. Comments will be posted on NTIA’s website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/DNS/DNSSEC.html. EDUCAUSE and Internet2 are planning to prepare joint comments and welcome member input. Please send comments to Rodney Petersen at rpetersen@educause.edu

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		Notice of Inquiry to Examine Security of the Domain Name and Addressing System Created by Rodney J. Petersen (EDUCAUSE) on October 9, 2008 The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) regarding “Enhancing the Security and Stability of the Internet’s Domain Name and Addressing System”. The NOI begins with the following background: The Department of Commerce (Department) notes the increase in interest among government, technology experts and industry representatives regarding the deployment of Domain Name and Addressing System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) at the root zone level. 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. Accordingly, the Department is issuing this notice to invite comments regarding DNSSEC implementation at the root zone. The NOI seeks comments in response to the following general questions: In terms of addressing cache poisoning and similar attacks on the DNS, are there alternatives to DNSSEC that should be considered prior to or in conjunction with consideration of signing the root? What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of DNSSEC relative to other possible security measures that may be available? What factors impede widespread deployment of DNSSEC? What additional steps are required to facilitate broader DNSSEC deployment and use? What end user education may be required to ensure that end users possess the ability to utilize and benefit from DNSSEC? The NOI also contains a set of general and operational questions concerning signing of the root zone. A number of possible models exist to implement the signing of the root zone. Accordingly, six possible process flow models are presented in Appendix A for consideration and comment. Comments are due on November 24, 2008. Comments will be posted on NTIA’s website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/DNS/DNSSEC.html. EDUCAUSE and Internet2 are planning to prepare joint comments and welcome member input. Please send comments to Rodney Petersen at rpetersen@educause.edu Washington Update \| Cybersecurity \| Cybersecurity Policy \| DNSSEC \| Domain Name System (DNS) \| Policy and Law \| Policy and Law: Federal \| Security Task Force Rodney's blog Login or register to post comments 226 reads
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