PR95828

LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

  -- Domain Name System coordinator responds to the Internet Security

     Threats COVID and the Russia-Ukraine war pose for all users

In the midst of global crises, such as a pandemic or a war, malicious online

activities typically increase. Bad actors seek new ways to install malware on

devices without the user's consent to gather sensitive information or gain

access to private computer systems. They also trick users into revealing

sensitive personal, corporate or financial information – this is known as

phishing.

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To combat Internet malware and phishing, the Internet Corporation for Assigned

Names and Numbers organization (ICANN) developed an evidence-based approach

that identifies domain names that appear to have been used for malicious

purposes and are related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Domain Name Security Threat Information Collection and Reporting (DNSTICR)

is an innovative, robust, and linguistically comprehensive tool that searches

for and reports potentially malicious activities of domain names and their

background information to registrars, the entities that offer domain name

registration services. DNSTICR provides another layer of defense in the ICANN's

fight to protect Internet users from Domain Name System (DNS) security threats.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, ICANN has analyzed 579 separate terms,

which resulted in 438,819 domain names being examined. From these, 23,452

domain names were seen to be potentially active and malicious. After ICANN

analyzes these domain names and reports the phishing attacks, the registrar has

all the evidence needed to decide on the best course of action to remove the

threat.

"ICANN is committed to doing its part in the collective efforts to mitigate

these threats, especially when criminals attempt to leverage the Domain Name

System to take advantage of unsuspecting Internet users," said John Crain,

ICANN's Chief Technology Officer.

ICANN's response to DNS security threats is an example of the organization's

efforts to provide verifiable data, unbiased research, and expertise to

facilitate fact-based discussions on the technical operations of the Internet.

The DNSTICR initiative is just one of many ICANN efforts that aligns with the

organization's purpose and commitment to promote a broad participation of

public and private actors to make the Internet safer, more secure, and

interoperable. ICANN's DNS Security Threat Mitigation Program recently

published a report on DNS abuse trends relying on four years of data (read The

Last Four years in Retrospect: A Brief Review of DNS Abuse Trends)

(https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3526243-1&h=854076602&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.icann.org%2Fen%2Fsystem%2Ffiles%2Ffiles%2Flast-four-years-retrospect-brief-review-dns-abuse-trends-22mar22-en.pdf&a=The+Last+Four+years+in+Retrospect%3A+A+Brief+Review+of+DNS+Abuse+Trends).

For more information on this tool, visit our DNSTICR dedicated webpage:  

https://www.icann.org/dnsticr-en

Find out about ICANN org-wide efforts to mitigate DNS security threats:

https://www.icann.org/dns-security-threat

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global

Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address

– a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be

unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and

support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as

a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from

all over the world.

Source - ICANN

Media Contact: Alexandra Dans, Communications Director, The Americas,

Montevideo, Uruguay, +598 95 831 442, alexandra.dans@icann.org ; Or

press@icann.org