March 28, 2014
.au Domain Administration (auDA) has indicated it is about to begin the rollout of Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC).
DNSSEC is a security extension designed to ensure the integrity and authenticity of transmitted data - for example, to ensure the site you think you're visiting is actually that site and not a hijacker's site.
The rollout of DNSSEC for .AU has turned out to be a rather lengthy ordeal. It was back in April 2010 that auDA embarked on the process. However, it seems the delay has been necessary and has perhaps saved a lot of headaches.
In an announcement posted on the auDA site, the body - which oversees the .AU domain space - says it has taken a cautious approach to introducing DNSSEC due to potential risks for registry operators.
"This approach has allowed auDA to wait for equipment, services and processes to mature and ultimately reduce the risk to the .au domain space."
auDA will sign the .au zone in its production environment next month and once this occurs, it will continue testing the deployment of DNSSEC. It warns it cannot guarantee continued service or stability of the signed .au zone during the testing phase to those who enable DNSSEC validation.
At this stage it appears rollout to the point of DS records being submitted to IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) for inclusion in the root zone won't be completed until late August this year.
auDA says it will make DNSSEC information available the [email protected] mailing list; which is open to the public.
While the introduction of DNSSEC will provide an added layer of protection to Internet users and site owners, all users will still need to continue to exercise vigilance in protecting themselves during their online forays.
A detailed explanation of DNSSEC can be viewed on ICANN's web site.
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