With internet security becoming an ever growing threat and ever more important issue, the latest issue of the quarterly Behind the Dot: State of the .au Domain [pdf] from AusRegistry examines these issues with a focus on .au (Australia).The publication includes a few articles by yours truly on Protecting Australia’s Internet with DNSSEC and interviews with Dr Jason Smith, Technical Director at CERT Australia on Responding to a cyber incident and an interview with Robert Schischka, Technical Manager at nic.at about nic.at’s experiences implementing DNSSEC.There are also articles on an update on .au registration numbers, malware, global domain hijacking incidents being a menace to major brands, protecting your domain from cyber threats, predictions for the .au namespace for 2016 and government and policy.Writing on the AusRegistry website, Adrian Kinderis, CEO of AusRegistry says:
A significant tool for protecting our country’s online ecosystem has been the implementation of DNS Security Extensions, otherwise known as DNSSEC. In this edition, we’ve examined DNSSEC in detail to outline how it works and who should consider implementing it.Online security is not however, an issue solely for Registries. Major brands and individuals alike can and should take essential steps to ensure their data, assets and reputations are protected from online attacks. This edition of Behind the Dot contains a close look at some of the major global brands that have been threatened by hijackers; as well as some of the risks to individual domain name registrants and some tactics for addressing them.We’ve also called upon some of Australia’s leading security experts for their tips and insights on staying safe online. CERT Australia Technical Director, Dr Jason Smith gives us his views on cyber security issues affecting critical infrastructure, while Bruce Matthews, Cyber Security Manager at the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) provides an overview of the Australian Internet Security Initiative. Finally, Robert Schischka of nic.at, the Registry for the Austrian country code Top-Level Domain, offers an international perspective on DNSSEC.In addition, we’re delighted to have the contribution of a number of our .au Registrars in this edition, to give their predictions for the year ahead in .au and the domain name industry abroad. We look forward to continuing this inclusion of Registrars in future editions and encourage your input.