eco topDNS Initiative Fights DNS Abuse

• In the eco topDNS initiative, registries, registrars and hosting provider work together to better protect the Domain Name System (DNS) from abusive activities.
• Global industry leaders are on board, such as VeriSign, CentralNic, Public Interest Registry, IQ Global AS, Leaseweb and Realtime Register.

The eco initiative topDNS wants to protect the Domain Name System (DNS) even better from abuse in the future. Leading companies in the industry – including VeriSign, CentralNic, Public Interest Registry, IQ Global AS, Leaseweb and Realtime Register – are among the first supporters of the initiative. They have joined forces under the umbrella of the eco Association to increase the security of the DNS. Their common goal is a stable and secure operation of the DNS, promoting existing activities to combat DNS abuse, and educating about which measures are effective and appropriate.

“The members of the eco Association represent a broad spectrum of different providers of Internet infrastructures that provide and use the DNS. We have more than 25 years of experience in networking members, successfully sharing expertise and developing best practices. We are now using this experience to effectively combat DNS abuse through malware, botnets, phishing, pharming and certain types of spam,” says Thomas Rickert, Director of the Names & Numbers Forum at the eco Association, and an initiator of the topDNS initiative. “The topDNS initiative supports the efforts of eco member companies to work hand in hand to operate digital infrastructures reliably and securely and thus strengthen trust in digitalisation.”

DNS security as a joint task of the Internet industry

An key goal of the initiative is the establishment of effective measures to combat DNS abuse. Blocking domains should not be taken lightly and should always be seen as a last resort to combat illegal content. Deleting such content is not only more effective in the long run but also reduces the risk of collateral damage that can occur when domains are blocked.

Milestones on the way to this goal within the topDNS initiative are the exchange of best practices, the standardisation of abuse reports, the development of a trusted notifier framework, and awareness campaigns towards policy makers, decision-makers and expert groups. The topDNS initiative works closely with the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and the DNS Abuse Institute.

The work of the topDNS Initiative builds on the established DNS Abuse Framework. This framework has been signed by more than 50 registries and registrars to strengthen DNS security. This industry commitment is already supported by many eco members. In order to raise awareness of DNS security and to improve cooperation against DNS misuse, the eco association relies on its worldwide industry network of companies, representatives of public administration, law enforcement agencies, society and politics with topDNS. The initiative is open to other companies that want to get involved in the fight against DNS abuse.

More information at https://topdns.eco