CZ.NIC will contribute to the changes of global Internet security

International organization ICANN, responsible for the Internet management, has appointed a team that will prepare a plan for the alteration of the root key used for Internet domains security via the DNSSEC technology. Among the team members is also Ondrej Sury from the CZ.NIC association.

Prague, March 12th – International organization ICANN, responsible for the Internet management, has appointed a team that will prepare a plan for the alteration of the root key used for Internet domains security via the DNSSEC technology. Among the team members is also Ondrej Sury, from the CZ.NIC association that manages the Czech national .CZ domain. The whole process of the key replacement is strongly associated with the Domain Name System (DNS) that represents an important part of the Internet infrastructure. The major responsibility of the expert group is to find an optimal way for the main key alteration without causing a disruption to the Internet stability.

Whether we are using the web for newsfeed, shopping or sending e-mails, the DNS system is one of the things that makes the use of internet easier for us. Thanks to DNS we don’t have to remember every numerical IP address, since the system is “translating” it to us in a comprehensible word combination, via the www address, for instance. However, this system can be abused to send a user to scam pages and to have one’s online communication wiretapped. Therefore, the DNSSEC security extension has been created in order to prevent those attacks.

“The security of the DNS system is highly important. Czech Republic is one of the first countries that has established the DNSSEC. I feel that having Ondrej Sury elected into the seven-member international council of specialists is a reward for our great work in the DNS field”, Ondrej Filip said, the CEO of CZ.NIC association. “Our association is also taking care of other projects within the DNS system. I’d like to especially mention the open source authoritative DNS server known as Knot DNS that is being created in our Research and Development Department. The DANE project, which we have been part of within the organization IETF, is also worth mentioning. Its goal is to fundamentally change the way of work with the internet services certificates.”

Czech Republic, alongside with Sweden and Netherlands, is among the leading innovators in the DNSSEC field. CZ.NIC has allowed the registrars to sign the .CZ domain at the end of the year 2008. At that time, it was only the fifth domain of the highest level in the world. In the year 2013, the government of the Czech Republic adopted a resolution, according to which public authorities must secure all of its domains held by the DNSSEC technology. Due to this resolution, Czech Republic was ranked among the first countries that opted for the mandatory security of all public administration domains.