Neustar, Inc. announced today that .BIZ is the first top-level domain (TLD) to deploy both DNS security extensions (DNSSEC) and the Registry Lock service. Neustar is the registry administrator for the .BIZ TLD as designated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and is the first company to announce these improvements.

DNSSEC involves the use of public key cryptography and digital signatures to protect consumers from potentially harmful cache poisoning attacks on the Domain Name System (DNS). A poisoned cache redirects users to a fraudulent site where their personal and/or financial information may be compromised.

Registry Lock allows for two-layer, gated protection from the theft of a registrant’s domain name (known as “domain hijacking”). Since July 15, 2010, .BIZ registrars have had the ability to offer Registry Lock service to .BIZ registrants.

“Security and innovation are part of Neustar’s DNA. With this announcement, we demonstrate our long-standing commitment to offering the most secure domain names using the latest and best technology available,” said Tim Switzer, vice president of Domain Name Registry Services at Neustar. “These security improvements further solidify our position as a trusted administrator, delivering end users needed protections for their valuable personal data and information.” The .BIZ domain began accepting delegation signer (DS) records in August 2010, making Neustar the only registry to have fully deployed DNSSEC in two TLDs (.US and .BIZ).

Interest in domain name security has never been higher, with ICANN slated next year to revolutionize Internet addressing with the introduction of hundreds of new generic TLDs (gTLDs) into the Internet. In additional to being a security leader for .BIZ and .US, Neustar provides back-end registry services for .CO, the most successful new TLD in recent years.