Offers to Assist in Securing DNS
14 March — ICANN welcomed members of the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative (CCI) Steering Group to Costa Rica as part of its efforts to improve the security, stability and resiliency of the global Domain Name System (DNS).
The meeting offered Steering Group members the opportunity to explain the purpose of the Initiative to the ICANN community.
The proposal for the Initiative was developed through the COMNET Foundation for ICT development, an independent foundation which leads the Commonwealth Internet Governance Forum.
The objectives of this Initiative, as stated on the CCI web page, are “to assist developing Commonwealth countries to build their institutional, human and technical capacities with respect to policy, legislation, regulation, investigation and law enforcement with the aim of, making their jurisdictions more secure by denying safe havens to cyber criminals, and enabling all member countries to become effective partners in the globally coordinated effort to combat Cybercrime.” <http://www.commonwealthigf.org/cybercrime/the-commonwealth-cybercrime-initiative/>
These objectives encompass a wide range of anticrime activities, including preventing abuse of the DNS, and are thus consistent with ICANN’s core values and its obligation to enhance and protect the security and stability of the Internet name system. ICANN participates on the Initiative Steering Group and has expressed its willingness to assist the Initiative in capacity building associated with DNS operations and security.
ICANN Chief Security Officer, Jeff Moss, said, “Through this cooperative relationship, ICANN will also assist Commonwealth member countries with DNSSEC deployment. An important goal for ICANN and the Initiative is to work to have all member countries sign their Top Level Domain zones.”
The workshop at the ICANN meeting in Costa Rica is part of an effort to “translate the CCI concept into an operational reality in assisting member countries in building coherent and sustainable capacity on the ground to help make the Internet a safer place,” said Joseph Tabone, Chairman of COMNET Foundation for ICT Development. “We thank partners for their continued support and especially thank ICANN for their opportunity to present the Initiative to their community.”
Workshop presentations from Steering Group members and ICANN staff can be viewed at http://costarica43.icann.org/node/29901.