Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Security The Internet United States

Government Begins Securing Root Zone File 198

Death Metal notes a Wired piece on the US government beginning the process of securing the root zone file. This is in service of implementing DNSSEC, without which the DNS security hole found by Dan Kaminsky can't be definitively closed. On Thursday morning, a comment period will open on the various proposals on who should hold the keys and sign the root — ICANN, Verisign, or the US government's NTIA.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Government Begins Securing Root Zone File

Comments Filter:
  • Re:Who to control... (Score:4, Informative)

    by TheSpoom ( 715771 ) * <{ten.00mrebu} {ta} {todhsals}> on Friday October 10, 2008 @10:26AM (#25327493) Homepage Journal

    The problem is that that theoretical hosts file is already split among different entities; for example, Verisign controls the .com and .net registries, not ICANN. So, if you wanted to do that, you'd have to convince all of them to give up their control.

  • by nweaver ( 113078 ) on Friday October 10, 2008 @10:30AM (#25327535) Homepage

    I believe DNSSEC is unnecessary to counter the Kaminski attack.

    See draft-weaver-dnsext-comprehensive-resolver-00 [ietf.org] for how I believe you can secure resolvers against attacks less powerful than MitM, including Kaminski (race-until-win) attacks.

  • Re:Who to control... (Score:3, Informative)

    by TheSpoom ( 715771 ) * <{ten.00mrebu} {ta} {todhsals}> on Friday October 10, 2008 @10:47AM (#25327687) Homepage Journal

    I would put that on the con side.

    I did, if you noticed. :^P

  • by elfguy ( 22889 ) on Friday October 10, 2008 @11:50AM (#25328473) Homepage

    DNSSEC already has provisions to use a multi-signature key, where many organizations each sign it, and these parts are used to make one global key, so that no one person or organization is owner of the root zone file. It doesn't have to go like that.

  • by Crazy Taco ( 1083423 ) on Friday October 10, 2008 @12:34PM (#25329019)

    Countries like the USA, you mean? Seriously, did you ever try to protest at an RNC, for instance? I did, and I can tell you that it sure makes you wonder exactly which nation you're in, anyway.

    Right, and those of us from Minnesota know ALL ABOUT your protests at the RNC. Let's see, at this year's RNC in Minneapolis we had mass rioting, bricks thrown through windows of business and destruction of property, an attempted bus-jacking, fires, attacking of delegates from multiple states, throwing feces and urine on delegates, attacking police officers and a vast number of other crimes.

    In the pre-RNC raid by the Ramsey County Sherriff's department of the "RNC Welcoming Committee" apartments, police found molotov cocktails, nail bombs, gasoline tanks and other explosives, buckets of urine and all variety of other ordnance. Despite these raids, numerous people were still injured by these people during the riots. Even the liberal mayor of St. Paul applauded the actions of law enforcement and the excellent job they did it keeping the carnage from getting worse.

    So, the only thing that makes me wonder what country I'm in is that fact that depraved idiots like you are running around lose. People like you are lower than low, defending these tactics and smearing the law enforcement officers. These were not "peace protesters". These were terrorists and anarchists by anyone's definition, and no quarter should be given to them. And frankly, no quarter will be given to you either. You, luckily for you, are given the right of free speech by the rest of us true American citizens, but I will not stand by and let you spew your garbage and hate without reminding others what really happened in Minneapolis at the RNC. People like you are truly evil and immensely twisted and warped if you can defend any of the violent activities the went on during the "protests" (read: riots). And if you were a participant, you deserve to be thrown in jail, or better yet, exiled to a place like Pakistan, Iran, or Syria. Your kind have no place in a free and peaceful democracy.

  • Re:None of the above (Score:4, Informative)

    by MightyYar ( 622222 ) on Friday October 10, 2008 @01:37PM (#25329909)

    Protests are only one form of free speech, and it happens that they involve major disruption. It's like a parade or a festival... even when everyone is very peaceful, you have requirements for food, water, and human waste. Frankly, it's not particularly fair to crash someone else's parade after they've paid for everything and then complain about your rights being squashed. You want to have a parade? Go for it - but pay for all the mess you'll make.

    And you know what? These WTO/RNC/etc protests are NOT non-violent, they are NOT low-impact, and they cause a major disruption - by DESIGN. You have a right to free speech. Have a parade, publish a newspaper, etc. You do NOT have a right to be a douche.

    It tells me that your message isn't worth hearing, because you have resorted to abandoning any sort of civilized debate and just crying like a 2-year-old.

    (Note I don't mean you in particular, just the style of writing that I used.)

  • Re:None of the above (Score:3, Informative)

    by MightyYar ( 622222 ) on Friday October 10, 2008 @07:56PM (#25334349)

    You only believe the protesters are fringe lunatics because of how they're portrayed on the news after the weirdness has erupted. Try finding a nice video of a blogger with a hidden camera at one of these protests from start to finish and you'll see what really goes on.

    Nooooo... I live in NYC and have the pleasure to stroll through these protests every so often. Usually these people are what I would term professional or at least hobbyist protesters. They are largely from out of town. They tend to represent every insane cause you ever didn't want to know about. All the usuals are there, too. The free Tibet crowd, the "I don't eat this or that" crowd, the "free this wronged convict" crowd, anarchists, communists... maybe you don't consider these people fringe - but they very much are.

    As I said before, I agree that the police tend to over-react but in general these things go down pretty well. You'll have 10s of thousands of people with only a few hundred arrests... and most of those are people blocking some road or walkway. You're right that only a few are violent. The walkway and street blocking people are still douchebags, even if they are being non-violent.

"Look! There! Evil!.. pure and simple, total evil from the Eighth Dimension!" -- Buckaroo Banzai

Working...