Owning The Keys To The Internet
The U.S. government is pressing ahead with plans
to implement a new security regime for the basic architecture of the World Wide
Web, despite unease in some corners of the international Internet management
community.
The U.S. government is pressing ahead with plans to
implement a new security regime for the basic architecture of the World Wide
Web, despite unease in some corners of the international Internet management
community.
“This is the U.S. government stepping forward and showing leadership,” says Douglas Maughan, an official with Homeland Security.
The DNS Security Extensions Protocol, or DNSSec, is designed to end spoofing by allowing the instantaneous authentication of DNS information — effectively creating a series of digital keys for the system.
One lingering question — largely academic until now — has been who should hold the key for the so-called DNS Root Zone, the part of the system that sits above the so-called Top Level Domains, like .com and .org.
Several experts have suggested that possessing the Root Zone Key would make the U.S. government the only entity that could “spoof” DNS addresses.
Maughan says, “The Root Key Operator is going to be in a highly trusted position. It’s going to be a highly trusted entity. The idea that anyone in that position would abuse it to spoof addresses is just silly.”
Should we presume the same level of trust and leadership we received - over WMD’s before the invasion of Iraq?
“This is the U.S. government stepping forward and showing leadership,” says Douglas Maughan, an official with Homeland Security.
The DNS Security Extensions Protocol, or DNSSec, is designed to end spoofing by allowing the instantaneous authentication of DNS information — effectively creating a series of digital keys for the system.
One lingering question — largely academic until now — has been who should hold the key for the so-called DNS Root Zone, the part of the system that sits above the so-called Top Level Domains, like .com and .org.
Several experts have suggested that possessing the Root Zone Key would make the U.S. government the only entity that could “spoof” DNS addresses.
Maughan says, “The Root Key Operator is going to be in a highly trusted position. It’s going to be a highly trusted entity. The idea that anyone in that position would abuse it to spoof addresses is just silly.”
Should we presume the same level of trust and leadership we received - over WMD’s before the invasion of Iraq?
Posted: Fri - April 13, 2007 at 10:12 AM