The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has awarded a $500,000 grant through its ICANN Grant Program to the University of Twente for research led by Dr.ir. Raffaele Sommese, Dr.ir. Mattijs Jonker, and Dr. Abhishta Abhishta.
ICANN is a nonprofit public benefit corporation established in 1998. Its mission is to ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet by coordinating the allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, domain names, and protocol parameters. The UT researchers’ project, titled DNS Atlas, focuses on improving the security and stability of the internet by uncovering hidden dependencies within the Domain Name System (DNS).
What is the DNS, and why does it matter?
The Domain Name System (DNS) acts as the internet’s “phonebook”, translating web addresses like www.utwente.nl into numerical IP addresses, enabling computers to communicate. While essential for the functioning of the internet, DNS can be challenging to operate. Organisations often rely on complex networks of providers and systems, forming chains of dependencies. These chains are usually invisible but can cause significant disruptions if a single link fails.
For instance, an outage or cyberattack affecting one provider can trigger a domino effect, disrupting critical services like online banking or digital healthcare. This research aims to map these dependencies and help organisations mitigate risks.
Who benefits from this research?
The research primarily targets organisations in critical sectors, such as healthcare, logistics, finance, and e-government. These sectors heavily depend on a stable internet for their daily operations.
By providing practical tools and insights, the project will enable businesses and institutions to understand better and reduce their dependencies. This not only enhances the safety of these sectors but also contributes to the overall reliability of the internet.
Collaboration and approach
The project is led by Raffaele Sommese, Mattijs Jonker from the Design and Analysis of Communication Systems (DACS) group and Abhishta Abhishta from the Industrial Engineering and Business Information Systems (IEBIS) group, in collaboration with key partners such as TNO and SIDN (Netherlands), IIJ Labs (Japan) and CAIDA (USA). By combining their expertise in network security, data analysis, and economic processes, the team is adopting a holistic approach to address both the technical and economic aspects of the DNS ecosystem.
What does the ICANN grant mean?
The ICANN Grant Program is an opportunity for eligible organisations across the globe to apply for funding for projects that are consistent with ICANN's mission. In its first cycle, the program allocated a total amount of $10 million. The proposal by the three UT researchers was selected as one of the best from over 247 submissions. This funding enables the team to make significant contributions towards a safer and more secure internet.
Impact of the research
The research will result in a user-friendly tool that organisations can use to visualise and analyse their dependencies within their DNS deployment. This not only helps reduce risks for individual businesses but also strengthens the stability of the internet, benefiting society as a whole.
