Security co-operation might be a good thing says ICANN

THINK SAFETY FIRST along with stability for the sake of the Domain Name System (DNS), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) chief executive has told the organisation's Brussels meeting.

Several sessions of the get-together will focus on DNSSec, the security protocol developed to help defend the Internet against attacks by "miscreants with malicious intent". The meeting will also cover new generic Top Level Domains and the affirmation of commitments between Icann and the US government designed to improve the accountability of the Internet oversight body.

Icann CEO Rod Beckstrom told the opening session of the organisation's 38th international meeting that an inflexible attitude isn't acceptable, saying "we cannot resolve these issues alone". He went on to ask for greater co-operation between international Internet bodies in order to ensure DNS safety and stability.

And in one of those moments that will be qouted repeatedly when the inevitable catastrophe happens, he said, "No-one wants to experience in real life the repercussions of a major DNS outage. We have an opportunity to take strong preventative measures now so that we may try to avoid a major disruption to our daily lives. We need to work within our family of organisations, large and small, formal and informal, to draw on the wealth of expertise around us." µ