Newer Domain Extensions - Can They Help In The Internet Security?

By Author: eccuni
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In the near future, top-level domains that are found in the internet would surely increase and our familiar addresses (.com .org and also .info) would be supplemented by dozens or even hundreds of newer extensions (.blog .sport, .music and such.) This fast and rapid expansion is going to happen because of ICANN's new generic Top-Level-Domain or gTLD program. Companies will have the ability to choose and apply for their own unique name that they want and it would bring a lot of consumer choices as well as technological innovation in the addressing system of the internet. When it comes to internet security; it is said to bolster-up the system well.

ICANN the organization overseeing the Domain Name System provides a rulebook for new managers who are going to manage the gTLD – the Applicant Guidebook. It contains mandatory requirements that will support the Domain Name System Security Extension or DNNSSEC for every gTLD application today. DNSSEC would entirely depend on the company's choice and many companies are already making use of the technology. A masters degree information security ...
... will also help in this scenario.

DNSSEC will bring one of the most important elements in internet addresses – trust. Domains using DNSSEC is protected from man-in-the-middle threats that are designed to intercept online transactions. The levels of trust is in a hierarchical structure and it all leads to the trust anchor or internet root that is signed by the ICANN with the use of well-protected sets of private keys.

Speeding up the Process

The deployment of DNSSEC in the international scene is still in the infancy stage. Of the 300 top-level internet domains and most of them are country-code addresses like .uk and .in, only 70 addresses are using DNSSC. Only few second level domains like "example.com" have signed for the process.

The number of companies who would register with this program would surely double in the next years when the gTLD program will open new extensions. Even new gTLD registrants will be DNSSEC ready right at the start. The launching of .org in the year 2009 was DNSSEC's 1st watershed moment of deployment; DNS root launching last year was 2nd and the third would be the .com signing. New gTLD rollout over the next 2 years will definitely be the 4th. By the time this happens, many will have ms in information security which will tremendously help the security systems.

GTLD requirements will compel internet infrastructure providers to increase the existing security levels of their domain extensions. Domain managers of country-codes that do not support DNSSEC could decide for a gTLD application, so that they can represent the country's capital city or a distinct cultural region of their country. These extensions are going to be managed by the very same infrastructure registry; the only thing that difference is that they have to be upgraded so that they can support DNSSEC.

Much Secure Internet Banking

Although top-level DNSSEC is mandatory for new registrants for gTLD, individual domain registrant has no obligations to sign for second-level domains. To make it simple, an approved "dot anything" registry is contractually obliged in joining the global chains of trust, but its customer, an "example.anything registrant is not necessarily needed to engage. Newer registries would set policies on their own, in regards to how the registration procedure is made; it is expected that some would rather pass the DNSSEC obligations to their clients.

Other gTLD applicants would surely adhere to the promise in improving their levels of security to cater their customer bases. A ".bank" or even ".broker" extension, if it is approved by the ICANN, it would be restricted for use only to the identified banking and broker addresses only; the same way as ".museum" and also ".aero" are only restricted for museums and aviation industries only.

Instead of simply entering the important requirements in registering for any .com domain such as email address and also the credit card information; the .bank registrants would undergo thorough inspections and verifications before they are given their own domain names. Registry operators could choose to market these top-level domains as a safe and secure address where online banking transaction are safe from cyber threats like online phishing and other kinds of cyber crime activities. The DNSSEEC will become an intrinsic component and could become another trustworthy icon in web browsers and any other internet processes and applications.

Higher-security DNS needs to raise its own awareness that is why it needs highly profiled early adopters of DNSSEC. Also, there are other awareness-raising vehicles that promote DNSSEC. It is highly unlikely to happen, where newer gTLDs would change the security landscape of DNS in just one night. DNSSEC will be a necessary requirement because it will encourage innovation on the levels of application and also provide more secured domain addresses. It would also help that people who have masters degree in information security is manning this security system.

EC-Council University is a licensed university that offers degrees and master's degrees on Security Science online. The degrees are recognized worldwide and may be used in any employment worldwide as well as the graduate certificates that they offer. With excellence and dedication as the core values, many professionals and degree holders have benefitted from undergoing the programs in this university.

More information about master's degrees in information security available at www.eccuni.us.