Leap day on the Internet: 29 February 2012 is also a special day for the .at-zone. At 11.35 a.m., the local domain registry nic.at activated the security extension DNSSEC for .AT domains.

DNSSEC guarantees the authenticity and integrity of DNS transactions on the Internet and makes sure that domain queries are actually responded by the proper server without being manipulated during the process. It protects the user from being redirected in the DNS system – without noticing it. So-called Cashe Poisoning, which is the forging of DNS data and redirection to manipulated websites, is prevented this way. In other words: a DNSSEC signature guarantees the users that they will actually access the right website when they type a domain name into their browser. While nic.at provides the signature for the entire .at-zone, it is the task of the ISP or registrar to provide the signature on the domain-level. Only this guarantees a seamless encryption.

More information on DNSSEC can be found at: www.nic.at/en/service/technical_information/dnssec/ as well as in the DNSSEC specific FAQ www.nic.at/en/faq/dnssec/. The nic.at DNSSEC policy is described in the following  document [PDF].

This nic.at news release was sourced from:
www.nic.at/en/uebernic/current_issues/nicat_news/news_view/article/81/nicat-fuehrt-sicherheitsstandard-dnssec-fuer-at-domains-ein/

To register your .AT domain name, check out Europe Registry here.