News Briefs

Microsoft Takes Legal Action Against North Korean Cybercrime Group, Takes Down 50 Domains

Microsoft has taken control of 50 domains used by a North Korean cybercrime group dubbed "Thallium" to steal information from users, including government employees, think tanks, university staff members, and those working on nuclear proliferation issues. more

U.N. Approves Resolution to Combat Cybercrime Despite Opposition From E.U., the U.S. and Others

The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution to start the process of drafting a new international treaty against cybercrime despite objections from the European Union, the United States and other countries. The Russian-drafted resolution received approval from a 193-member world body with a vote of 79-60 and 33 abstentions. more

Russia Says It Has Successfully Tested a Country-Wide Alternative to the Global Internet

Russia's Ministry of Communications has announced that it has successfully tested a country-wide alternative to the global Internet and that general users did not notice any changes. more

Fiber Infrastructure in China Has Grown Nine Times Faster Than in the U.S. Since 2013

While developed and developing countries are fully aware of the importance of robust Internet infrastructure in the digital age, none have the same level of ambition that has fueled China's aggressive rollout strategy over the past seven years. more

Internet Society CEO Responds to Concerns Raised Over the .ORG Sale

Internet Society CEO Andrew Sullivan released a statement today in response to the recent concerns raised by the community with regards to the sale of Public Interest Registry (PIR), the .ORG operator, to Ethos Capital. more

We Have Now Run Out of IPv4 Addresses, Says RIPE NCC

The organization responsible for providing global Internet resources, including addresses in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia has announced that as of today, 25 November 2019, it has run out of IPv4 addresses. more

EFF and 26 Other Organizations Send Letter to Internet Society Urging It to Stop Sale of .ORG

EFF and 26 other organizations, including Wikimedia Foundation, Public Knowledge, National Council of Nonprofits, YWCA and YMCA, sent a letter today to the Internet Society (ISOC), urging it to stop the sale of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) -- operator of .ORG top-level domain -- to private equity firm Ethos Capital. more

Russia Bans Sale of Smartphones, Computers and Other Devices Not Pre-Installed With Russian Software

Russia has passed a law banning the sale of certain devices such as smartphones, computers and smart televisions if not pre-installed with Russian software. more

Microsoft Announces Plans to Adopt DoH in Windows

Microsoft announced today its plans to adopt DNS over HTTPS (DoH) protocol in Windows and will also keep other options such as DNS over TLS (DoT) on the table for consideration. more

Iran Almost Completely Shuts Off Internet Access Across the Country Amid Protests Over Fuel Prices

Iran has almost entirely shut down internet access across the country amid protests over an increase in fuel prices. more

Internet Commerce Association Calls for ICANN to Withhold Approval of .Org Sale

The Internet Commerce Association (ICA) in an open letter issued today, has asked ICANN to withhold the approval of the assignment of the .ORG top-level domain to the private equity company Ethos Capital. more

Ethos Capital to Acquire .ORG Top-Level Domain

The Internet Society and Public Interest Registry (PIR) have reached an agreement with Ethos Capital, under which Ethos Capital will acquire PIR and all of its assets from the Internet Society. Public Interest Registry (PIR) is the nonprofit corporation that operates the .ORG top-level domain. more

Cybersecurity Workforce Needs to Grow 145% to Close Skills Gap Worldwide, Says New Study

The cybersecurity workforce needs to grow by 145% to close the skills gap and better defend organizations worldwide according to a report released by (ISC)², a nonprofit membership association of certified cybersecurity professionals. more

Colombian Government Releases Action Plan for the Selection of .CO Domain Registry Operator

In light of the approaching expiration of the .CO top-level domain registry operator contract, Columbia's Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (MinTIC) today released an action plan for the .co operator selection process. more

“lo” and Behold

Happy 50th Internet! On October 29, 1969, at 10:30 p.m. Leonard Kleinrock, a professor of computer science at UCLA along with his graduate student Charley Kline sent a transmission from UCLA's computer to another computer at Stanford Research Institute via ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. more