ICANN have requested information from prospective contractors and other interested parties who can assist them and its High Security Top-Level Domain (HSTLD) Advisory Group in assessing and shaping a new programme aimed at increasing security and trust for top-level domain (TLD) registry operators who choose to participate.”This is an opportunity for interested stakeholders to have a voice in the formation of a program that will provide an additional layer of trust in the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS),” said Craig Schwartz, Chief gTLD Registry Liaison. “Eventually this programme could allow interested top-level domain registries to obtain an HSTLD designation, which will mean that a third party evaluator has verified that its business and technical operations have met certain security criteria.”The HSTLD programme will be available to any top-level domain registry operator who wishes to participate.The Advisory Group meets regularly to build upon the concept of a security verification program for TLDs. The HSTLD Advisory Group currently consists of members of ICANN staff and members of the community that have expressed an interest in assisting with the program as well as individuals who are subject matter experts in disciplines related to the program (e.g., security, auditing, certification programmes).ICANN and the Advisory Group are interested in hearing about the efficacy of various models that might be employed as the programme takes shape. Members of the group are particularly interested in learning about the potential pros and cons of using various means to convey the HSTLD designation, such as a certificate, trust mark or scorecard.Interested parties have until October 21 to respond to the Request for Information by writing to hstldrfi@icann.org.More information on the HSTLD Verification Program Advisory Group is available from:
https://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/hstld-program-en.htm