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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
into its corresponding IP address, in this case 69.58.188.38, and responds to the querying device with the requested information, enabling your browser to retrieve the Verisign website. This initial connection, called a DNS lookup, usually takes place in less than one-tenth of a second and is facilitated by the domain name registry operator.
“BEYOND DIRECT ATTACKS ON WEBSITES, WE ARE SEEING THE AUTHORITATIVE DNS BEING TARGETED IN DDOS ATTACKS AND HAVE DEVELOPED SPECIALISED DEFENCES IN RESPONSE.”
Requirements to operate a large TLD such as .com
As the registry operator for .com, Verisign has provided the essential underlying service layers that direct Internet users to where they want to go online. We have observed and responded to the explosive growth of the Internet, the majority of which has occurred within the domains we operate, by consistently over-delivering on the requirements of the day to support the uninterrupted operation of the Internet.
At the basic operational level, the Internet is a globally distributed computer network composed of many other independent networks. It’s made up of network links between hardware like routers, smart devices and servers that perform computations and store information. It also has a common set of protocols—or rules— that all machines connected to the Internet must follow for communication between devices to occur. Te Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP) are the main two that establish the rules for sending and receiving of information over the Internet. Layered on top of these protocols is the Domain Name System (DNS).
The DNS is a hierarchical distributed naming system for any resource connected to the Internet. Every Internet-connected device and destination ultimately is reachable through a public IP address made up of a long series of numbers that serves as a unique identifier. IP addresses allow the location of literally billions of digital devices that are connected to the Internet to be pinpointed and differentiated from other devices. In the same sense that someone needs your mailing address to send you a letter, a remote computer needs your
26 Trademarks Brands and the Internet
public IP address to communicate with your computer or device. However, since it is difficult to remember IP addresses, domain names were created to provide a more user- friendly way to navigate the Internet. Each domain name maps to a specific IP address. The DNS, made up of a complex system of root and name servers, translates user-friendly domain names to numerical IP addresses.
Every domain name is powered by a registry operator. A registry operator is the part of the DNS ecosystem that manages the database of domain names for a top-level domain (TLD)—the characters to the right of the dot —and generates the zone files which convert domain names to IP addresses. For example, Verisign is the registry operator responsible for maintaining the databases of all .com, .net, .gov, .edu, .tv, .name, .jobs, and .cc domain names.
When you make a request—or a query—from your browser to go to a website, such as
VerisignInc.com, your device creates a request to search the network for the target domain name server where the information associated with the domain name is stored. Once located, the domain name server translates the domain
Volume 2, Issue 2
With a current average of 77 billion DNS lookups performed daily—and peaks far in excess of this—it is vital that Verisign’s Internet services be operational around the clock. To make this possible, we have designed a sophisticated service from the ground up to address multiple complex, high-volume, real-time demands. This includes diverse hardware, operating systems, middleware and custom applications, power provider and network provider diversity, and a number of other protections. Massive scale helps ensure global performance and data integrity at all times and supports real-time updates as new domain names are added at 75 authoritative name server sites around the world as well as the operation of the A and J roots, two of the 13 root servers supporting DNS operations for all domains on the Internet.
This combination of a reliable, secure platform and significant capability provides a foundation for a wave of new applications and services that are poised for growth in the near future with advancements in cloud computing, Big Data and the ‘Internet of Things.’ Adoption of these new applications and services will once again raise the bar on infrastructure requirements to deliver available and secure services that engender the trust of Internet users, such as the impending shift to Internet Protocol version six (IPv6) to allow for greater expansion of the Internet addressing space, and mass adoption of DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) to provide a chain of custody for DNS lookups and help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
www.worldipreview.com
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