New Changes Could Influence Website Security
After September 30th, things could get interesting in the Internet world as new changes could influence website security could present themselves. That is because the United States government has chosen to release American control of ICANN and transfer it over to what has been described as a “multi-stakeholder community, which includes the technical community, businesses, civil society and governments.”
Who is ICANN?
Established in 1998, the Los Angeles-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is the organization charged with the operational stability of the Internet. Most notably the group coordinates and maintains the Domain Name System (DNS). However, ICANN does more than just allocate and approve web domains. It also has a security component. A team called the Security and Stability Advisory Committee, “engages in ongoing threat assessment and risk analysis of the Internet naming and address allocation services to assess where the principal threats to stability and security lie, and advises the ICANN community accordingly.”
Will domain security change after September 30th?
A strong argument has been made that rogue nations could more easily infiltrate the entire Internet system should this change come to fruition. If ICANN does undergo this change, the security procedures taken to protect the legal owner of a website will also change. Opponents point out that currently if a website were to be commandeered, the path to recourse would involve law enforcement, your domain provider, and the American-based ICANN.
Is there a need to worry?
The United States Congress could still block the change, something that would be conceivable in a presidential election year. It is tough to tell if this transformation would spell disaster for the Internet, however, as the adage goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has proven successful at its job since the launch of the modern Internet. With so many government efforts seemingly in disorder, it seems a bit confusing as to why anyone would want to change that which works fine.