The Secure Domain Foundation (SDF) has officially launched, with a clear mission of helping to protect the Internet from security issues related to domains. There are more than 265 million registered domain names active right now, and more are being added every single day. While there are many different types of threats that can affect different parts of the web, domain based or domain targeted threats are among the most serious.
If hackers were able to take down even a portion of the Domain Name System (DNS), for example, it could cripple the entire Internet. DNS attacks are considered to be a major vulnerability by many. In 2008, a security researcher found a flaw in the system which would have put the entire DNS at risk, and there are undoubtedly other issues that still exist today.
In order to protect the web from these types of attacks, the SDF is working with major industry supporters to present global solutions to anything that threatens DNS or domains in general. The foundation is funded for at least five years, getting contributions from Verizon, Verisign, Facebook, Enom, Blacknight Solutions and many others. These corporations have recognized the threat, and the fact that it is not something any company acting on their own will be able to guard against.
While direct DNS attacks are a major concern, there are many other domain focused risks that SDF will be addressing. They are even working on the risk of social engineering attacks against domain registrars.
Chris Davis, the co-founder and president of the SDF recently told eWEEK that, “We’re trying to tag and track the bad actors in the domain space. The Secure Domain Foundation is designed to be a true public benefit organization that provides free services fo facilitate information sharing and helps domain registries and hosting providers to identify the bad actors at the point of domain registration.” He went on to say, “This only works if people get behind it; otherwise, we’re just a bunch of security guys standing around with data.”
Clearly this is an important foundation that anyone who uses the web should be paying attention to, and learning from. With the backing from major companies, and a clear goal of protecting domain security, this is a foundation everyone will benefit from.
