THE internet com
munity in the country has called for the deployment of the on Domain Name System Security Extensions(DNSSEC) in order to halt the growing menace of
internet insecurity in Nigeria.
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| President Nigeria Internet Registration Association,Mrs Mary Uduma & President Association Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria,Engr. Lanre Ajayi |
The stakeholders at a three-day Summit held at the
Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos noted that there are unique business opportunities
for the private sector, if the country adopts the new DNSSE saying that it is
currently a growing phenomenon in the developed economy.
The Summit, which was organised by the Africa
Information and Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA) an association of
ICT organizations in Africa, had participants from across Africa.
Participants at the Summit
with the theme, ‘Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age in Africa’
brainstorm on the need for Africa be free from the current snag of being unfit
for e-commerce.
Leading the discussion, senior
program manager, DNSSE at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN), Mr. Richard
Lamb said that cyber
security is becoming a greater concern to enterprise and government as well as
end users adding that DNSSEC is the solution.
He noted that while Domain
Name System (DNS) is vulnerable to attack, the DNSSEC is more secured adding
that the Secure Sockets Layer(SSL) and Transport Layer Security does not
disclose whether one is one the right website.
According to him, DNSSEC is
the biggest security upgraded internet infrastructure developed in the last 20
years stressing, that it is a platform for new security applications, which
offers business opportunities.
He said that DNSSEC
infrastructure adoption has been brisk but requires expertise saying, getting
ahead with the DNSSEC is a competitive advantage.
Lamp, who has been part of
ICANN's security team and has over 25 years of Internet experience as engineer,
entrepreneur, and policy expert said that major countries in the world like
Sweden, Brazil, Netherlands and the Czech Republic is encouraging the
deployment of DNSSEC adding that there is a growing support for it major
players in the IT industry.
He said that Apple,Google,
Microsoft and Mozilla bought into the deployment of DNSSEC saying that about 80
per cent of domain names could possibly be DNSSEC complaint soon.
He further said that ISPs
are currently supporting the deployment of DNSSEC stating that the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which develops
and promotes Internet standards, is also promoting standards base on DNSSEC.
Lamp who is a frequent speaker and a driving force behind DNSSEC's
deployment as a cross-organizational, transnational platform for Internet
security innovation and opportunity regretted that few IT firms have taken
steps about DNSSEC adding that not even enough IT department and in the public
and private sector know about it.
Highlighting further the new
security product, he said that it is an improvement on web SSL certificates and
essential for secured emails, validates remote login and secure VOIP.
Describing it as a major
means of increasing trust in e-commerce in Africa, he said that DNSSEC
essentially secures content delivery and identity system.
Chairman, Computer Society
of Kenyan,Dr. Waudo Siganga said that security,
stability and resilience of the internet are keys to business concern.
According to him, ICANN
plays a formidable role in the decision making about public policy on the
internet saying that there is time for increasing participation in policy
formulation.
Also speaking , Ms Marilyn Cade, President ICT Strategies, Chief Catalyst IGF USA and a
leading Internet users and business defender in ICANN made several unique
observations and advocating, in particular, the need for moderation of mindsets
and skills sets of those who make policies across the world.
She advised
AfICTA Board to be mindful of limitations of governments and of the capacity of
business communities to help governments adding that while it has been easy to
get governments to appreciate and make investments into infrastructure and
human resource, it has not yet been popular to find Governments make
investments into Research and development in ICT.
President of the Nigerian Internet Registration
Association (NiRA), Mrs. Mary Uduma disclosed that ICANN is the developer and
proponent of the DNSSEC assuring that NiRA as a member of ICANN would take the
message of the summit to government and that as collaborator in the summit his
members would key into the new security product.
She that NiRA is going to implement the deployment of
DNSSEC in the registry so that when an organisation’s website is DNSSEC
complaint, it becomes secured.
According to her, if the country wants to build trust
in its online transaction and business then all website and e-commerce portals
must be DNSSEC complaint.
Nduma noted that NIRA has identified business
opportunities in the deployment of DNSSEC, which will improve the business of
its members adding that in the light of the current growth of e-commerce in the
country it would help to secure transaction so that it terminates at the right
location.
She said that a transaction carried out on a DNSSEC
website secured and that the transaction cannot be intercepted.
Nduma while
assuring that NIRA would implement the DNSSEC in the association said that once
a domain name is .ng security of that name is assured.
While reacting to questions on why most people have
not accepted the .ng domain, she said that NiRA is aware and that it is doing
more sensitization adding that NiRA has open up its second level domain that
makes possible for people to open a website with their name.
