OARC

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 22:13:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Carl Malamud <carl () media org>
Subject: OARC - for ip if you wish
To: dave () farber net

             ISC Announces Start of OARC Operations
Crisis Coordination Center for the Internet's Domain Name System
                    http://oarc.isc.org/

Today, the Internet Software Consortium (ISC) initiates operation of a crisis
coordination center to protect the Internet's global Domain Name System
(DNS).  Non-profit ISC's new member-based Operations, Analysis, and
Research Center (OARC) includes an Incident Response System, a
trusted environment enabling major network operators to coordinate
responses to threats and attacks on the DNS. While ISC OARC member
organizations may be business competitors, members agree to work
together for the common good during times of crisis while also protecting
proprietary data.

Initial members of ISC OARC include WIDE, RIPE NCC, APNIC, ARIN,
LACNIC, CAIDA, the Internet Society, Cisco Systems, MCI, XO
Communications, UltraDNS, ISTS at Dartmouth College, Afilias,
Autonomica, InternetPerils, Inc., Verio an NTT Communications Company,
and Telehouse USA, as well as many of the operators of the global root DNS
nameservers.  The service is available to Internet Service Providers,
corporate Network Operating Centers, cyber security groups, Top Level
Domain operators, and developeArs of DNS hardware and software.

The ISC OARC includes four other programs in addition to the Incident
Response System:

1.      Operational Characterization.  The OARC collects and
characterizes traffic flows on key nameservers in order to distinguish
normal versus abnormal operation.  The OARC will also be working
closely with RIPE NCC's DNSMON program and other data collection
efforts.  The RIPE NCC (www.ripe.net) is one of four Regional
Internet Address Registries.

2.      Analysis.  The OARC cooperates with leading Internet researchers
to provide long-term analysis of the performance, stability, and
security of the global DNS.  Dr. K.C. Claffy, Principal Investigator of
the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA) said,
"CAIDA has been working closely with the ISC OARC to establish
research projects targeted to improving our ability to measure,
model and protect critical DNS infrastructure."  CAIDA
(www.caida.org) is based at the San Diego Supercomputer Center
on campus at the University of California, San Diego.

3.      Testing.  The ISC OARC Testing Laboratory, capable of simulating a
real-world multi-vendor hardware and software DNS environment,
will open in January 2004 and will allow patches designed in
response to DNS attacks to be tested prior to deployment.

4.      Outreach & Education.  The ISC OARC will publish extensive
educational materials on the web to inform the public how they and
their providers can implement and use the DNS safely.

Suzanne Woolf, ISC's Senior Programme Manager responsible for the OARC,
said, "ISC OARC is going to provide an important coordinating function for
large DNS operators.  We've always closely coordinated on an informal
basis, but as the DNS continues to play an increasingly-important role in an
ever-larger Internet, we really need to put formal mechanisms in place to
respond more quickly and effectively to incidents."

About Internet Software Consortium.  ISC (www.isc.org) is a non-profit
corporation founded in 1994 to provide public services associated with the
Domain Name System.  ISC produces and releases as open source BIND,
the reference implementation for the DNS, which is used by the vast
majority of DNS servers around the world and also operates the F-root
nameserver, conducts the monthly Domain Survey, and is a key contributor
to DNS standardization efforts.

For more information:   
        Sr. Programme Manager: Suzanne Woolf, Suzanne_Woolf () isc org,
+1.650.423.1333.
	ISC Chairman: Paul Vixie, Paul_Vixie () isc org, +1.650.423.1301 

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