At the end of August, the FCC gave final approval to the requirement that ISPs must provide broadband labels. The FCC had originally approved the broadband labels in November 2022 but then received three petitions to further modify the rules. The recent order makes a few minor changes to the original order but largely leaves the original broadband label rules intact. more
Ali's invitation to post reflections on the past 25 years of ICANN is very welcome. No doubt, some will write about major shifts in how ICANN is governed, for example, the end of United States government oversight. While others will write about changes to the industry that ICANN has catalyzed, for example, the 2012 round of new gTLDs and the upcoming next application process. more
ICANN 53, in beautiful Buenos Aires, was the first time I experienced multi-stakeholder Internet governance Back then, I represented, as chair, the Latin American Forum of Telecommunications Regulators (REGULATEL), an observer org in GAC. I remember my amazement... more
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). A quarter of a century ago, on September 30, 1998, ICANN was officially incorporated as a California non-profit corporation. To commemorate this landmark event, ICANN will be hosting celebrations during ICANN78 in Hamburg, Germany, 21-26 October. more
AT&T and Comcast recently joined forces and joined the 5G Open Innovation Lab. This is a venture that has been funding start-ups and others working in 5G research. Along with looking to improve 5G edge technology, a primary goal of the OAI Lab is to search for killer apps for 5G. The two big companies join the other founding members of the effort, which includes Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Nokia. more
Over the past year, discussions around artificial intelligence (AI) have saturated media and policy environments. Perspectives on it vary widely: from boosterist narratives, which posit the limitless potential of AI-powered technologies to help overcome social inequalities and accelerate industrial development, to apocalyptic framings, which suggest that a (speculative) 'artificial general intelligence' could make humans extinct. more
Several weeks ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) embarked on one of the most far-reaching regulatory gambits in its 90-year history. It is formally known as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the matter of Cybersecurity Labeling for Internet of Things, Docket 23 -- 239. The FCC offers ICT product developers the use of its FCC trademarked cyber trust mark placed on their products in exchange for accepting open-ended Commission cybersecurity jurisdiction... more
The first things that usually come to mind when talking about software development risks are bugs and security issues that have not been detected or those that have been discovered but left unaddressed. Some may also point out poor code quality reviews and the use of third-party components and dependencies laced with malicious code. more
Phishing attacks have been rising over the past couple of years. Reports show that there was a 345 percent increase in phishing attacks between 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the number of advanced phishing attacks rose by 356 percent. Behind these alarming numbers, however, is an even uglier picture of digital fraud: a difficult-to-quantify prevalence of fake or spoof websites. more
In 2017, Telesat, an established Canadian geostationary satellite operator, announced a planned low-Earth orbit Internet service constellation. The plan called for 117 satellites with inter-satellite laser links in a mix of inclined and polar orbits, enabling global coverage. more
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, the value of IP addresses has surged to the forefront of discussions. Over a month ago, Amazon Web Services (AWS) made a pivotal announcement, reshaping the IP address pricing landscape. Citing the escalating costs of acquiring IP addresses on secondary markets, AWS declared a fundamental shift in its pricing strategy, set to take effect on February 1, 2024. more
Yesterday -- in a unanimous decision of the US Federal Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit (CADC) in ASTM v. Public.Resource.Org --- some of the worst standards paywalls came tumbling down. The court definitively determined that where governmental authorities incorporate private organisation technical standards into law by reference, non-commercial dissemination of those standards "constitutes fair use and cannot support liability for copyright infringement." more
A few years ago, there were a lot of predictions that we'd see broadband networks converting to quantum technology because of the enhanced security. As happens with many new technologies, quantum computing is advancing at a slower pace than the wild predictions that accompanied the launch of the new technology. more
The canonical specification of the DNS that is normally cited are the pair of quite venerable RFCs, RFC 1034, "Domain names - concepts and facilities", and RFC 1035, "Domain names - implementation and specification", both published in November 1987. However, these two specification documents are just the tip of a rather large iceberg. One compendium of all the RFCs that touch upon the DNS lists some 292 RFCs. more
The Uptime Institute (UI) is an IT industry research firm best known for certifying that data centers meet industry standards. UI issues an annual report that analyzes the cause of data center outages. The causes for data center outages are relevant to the broadband industry because the same kinds of issues shut down switching hubs and Network Operations Centers. more
U.S. National Security Agency Announces AI Security Center
U.S. National Security Agency Director, Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, has announced the formation of the AI Security Center, a new entity designed to oversee the development and integration of artificial intelligence within the nation's security systems. more
European Domain Growth Shows Positive Signs Amid Challenges in 2023
CENTR, the association which represents European country code top-level domain name registries (ccTLDs), such as .de for Germany or .no for Norway, has published the latest edition of its quarterly CENTRstats TLD Market Report, covering the global status and registration trends in all top-level domains (legacy gTLDs, new gTLDs and ccTLDs), with a specific focus on the European ccTLD market. more
ICANN Celebrates Its Quarter-Century Milestone
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) commemorates 25 years of fostering international cooperation in managing the Internet's naming system. Originally established by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1998, ICANN's primary objective has been to ensure a stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifiers, most notably the Domain Name System (DNS). more
Online Safety Bill: UK’s Digital Overhaul
The UK Parliament has given the green light to the controversial Online Safety Bill, putting Ofcom, the communications watchdog, in charge of internet regulation. This step brings the legislation closer to becoming law. more
The African Network Information Centre (Afrinic), the primary body overseeing internet resources for Africa and the Indian Ocean region, has been thrust into receivership. This move comes in the wake of a crippling injunction secured by a South African firm in Mauritius's highest court. more
CENTR, the leading body representing European national domain registries, has voiced concerns over the European Union's insolvency proposal. The group emphasizes that the current proposal places an undue strain on country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registries by demanding excessive data about domain name holders. more
UK’s National Agencies Release White Paper on Evolving Cyber Crime Ecosystem
The Hague to Probe Cyberwarfare Under Existing International Law
In a recent article published by WIRED Magazine, a significant shift in international law regarding cyberwarfare has been brought to light. The International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague has signaled its intention to investigate and prosecute hacking crimes that breach existing international law without the need for new regulations. more
Phishing Attacks Surge Despite Increased Awareness, New Strategies Needed
The alarming rise of phishing attacks has been underscored by a recent study "Phishing Landscape 2023: An Annual Study of the Scope and Distribution of Phishing conducted" by the Interisle Consulting Group, revealing a tripling of such attacks since May 2020. Despite efforts by companies and policymakers to combat this cybercrime, the data suggests that the prevailing strategies are ineffective and worsening each year. more
The German digital association, Bitkom, recently announced that the cost of IT equipment theft, data breaches, digital and industrial espionage, and sabotage is expected to reach a staggering 206 billion euros ($224 billion) in 2023. more
The Joint Commission, a healthcare accreditation agency, has advised hospitals and health systems to brace for at least a month of downtime following a cyberattack, according to The Wall Street Journal. This recommendation is part of new guidelines released by the agency for handling IT security events. more
U.N.‘s Global Digital Compact Faces Criticism for Overlooking Technical Experts in Internet Governance
ICANN, APNIC and ARIN recently voiced concerns about comments made by the United Nations (UN) Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology (OSET), Ambassador Amandeep Gill. These remarks seem to conflate the roles of the technical community and civil society in the Internet ecosystem. more
Foreign diplomats based in Belarus have been under the digital crosshairs of hackers with suspected ties to the Belarusian government for nearly a decade, security researchers revealed on Thursday. more
U.S. Schools Targeted in Ransomware Attacks: White House Responds
In response to increasing ransomware attacks targeting U.S. educational institutions, the White House convened an inaugural cybersecurity summit this Tuesday. The malicious cyber onslaughts have led to the online leakage of confidential student data, ranging from medical files to reports on sexual assaults. more
British Researchers Discover AI-Powered Technique That Can Extract Data Through Typing Sounds
A new study conducted by British researchers has unveiled a potentially concerning form of cyber threat where hackers can extract personal data just by listening to someone type. more
The '.sucks Top Level Domain (TLD), by Vox Populi, which initially faced criticism from brands due to its launch fee of $2,499 is now listed on the world's largest domain registrar, GoDaddy. more
Widespread Cyberattack Paralyzes US Hospital Systems, Interrupting Critical Healthcare Services
US hospitals have been severely affected by a substantial cyberattack, leading to the closure of emergency rooms in multiple states and the redirection of ambulances. more
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board of Directors has green-lighted the next phase of implementing new generic top-level domains (gTLDs), per a resolution approved on July 27, 2023. more
Amazon Web Services (AWS) will charge customers for public IPv4 addresses effective February 1, 2024. The charge will be $0.005 per IP per hour for all public IPv4 addresses, irrespective of whether they're attached to a service. more
Ukraine’s Increasing Dependence on Starlink Sparks Concern Over Musk’s Unilateral Control
Elon Musk's satellite internet technology, Starlink, has become an essential component of Ukraine's communication infrastructure, causing rising concerns among officials regarding their heavy reliance on this single source. Starlink, a product of Musk's SpaceX, has been instrumental in Ukraine's battle decision-making process amid the Russian invasion. more
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You are a distributor that sells your supplier's brands, so aside from worrying about your own company's domains, you've got nothing else to worry about, right? more
Evolution isn't only for humans and other living things. Apparently, malware can evolve, too, and IcedID is a good example. First detected as a banking trojan in 2017, IcedID continues to undergo updates that make it even more dangerous. In the past few months, IcedID variants have been observed to deliver ransomware payloads instead of performing its original function -- stealing financial data. more
Artificial intelligence (AI) is in the news every day and corporate strategies are evolving to adapt our businesses to AI use. 75% of companies have already integrated AI into their business strategies and a whopping 83% of companies consider using AI in their strategy to be a high priority according to Accenture. more
WoofLocker tech support scams have been wreaking havoc since 2017 but the threat actors behind it don't seem to be done yet. In fact, the threat may have become even more resilient. more
Decoy Dog, a malware renowned for abusing the DNS, specifically by establishing command and control (C&C) via DNS queries, first reared its head most likely in early 2022. Given its sly nature, the DNS malware has been used to successfully steal data from organizations throughout Russia and other Eastern European nations. more
Threat actors have been targeting vulnerable Redis instances since February 2022 when the Redis Lua Sandbox Escape and Remote Code Execution Vulnerability, also known as "CVE -- 2022 -- 0543," was discovered. The Mushtik Gang was one of the first cyber attack groups to exploit it. more
Radix has shared its bi-annual premium report for the first half of 2023, giving a complete overview of the premium domain sales across its new TLD portfolio. more
We began our analysis by subjecting the domains identified as IoCs to Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) lookups. Those allowed us to uncover these WHOIS record findings. more
APNIC56 is in Kyoto, Japan September 7–14. This year, there are four new policies being proposed and an edit to a policy previously discussed several times. more
Today, the latest issue of The Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report was released by DNIB.com, showing the second quarter of 2023 closed with 356.6 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), an increase of 1.7 million domain name registrations, or 0.5%, compared to the first quarter of 2023. more
Radix today announced the beginning of its invite-only Request for Proposal (RFP) process for the selection of a Registry Service Provider (RSP). Radix currently manages over 7 million domains across extensions that include .Online, .Store, .Tech, .Website, .Space, .Press, .Site, .Host, .Fun, .Uno, .Pw and .In.net. more
APT41, also known as "Winnti," "BARIUM," or "Double Dragon," is an APT group said to originate from China. Having been active since 2012, APT41 rose to infamy by successfully launching targeted cyber espionage attacks on government agencies and private companies worldwide. more
Even solutions meant to enhance security can sometimes fall prey to the best cyber attackers. That's what happened to JumpCloud, a cloud-based directory service platform designed to centralize and simplify identity access management (IAM). more
Cyber espionage group MuddyWater's or Mercury's first major campaign was seen as early as 2012. But as things always go in the cybersecurity realm, threat groups, especially those that gain infamy, don't necessarily just come and go. more
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