ICANN meetings

DNS Abuse Forum

Thursday, March 11, 2010

16:00- 18:00

Nairobi

Format: Most of the online crimes you hear of abuse the Domain Name System in some way. Whether a scam artist hides his identity by hosting his website behind an orphaned record, or a phisher registers a domain intended to resemble a famous brand, abuse of the DNS involves many ICANN stakeholders. Consumers and businesses can be victims of abuse, legitimate service providers might see criminals and fraudsters use those very services to commit offenses. This Forum is the fourth in a series where the different stakeholders affected by DNS Abuse can share information and ideas for responding to such abuse.

Introduction

Moderator : Alice Munyua, Communications Commission of Kenya

The moderator will outline the purpose of the Forum, explain the format and panel topics. The moderator will also chair each panel.

Session 1: Latest Developments in the Fight against DNS Abuse

Panel: McTim (Consultant on African Internet infrastructure and Internet Governance issues), Muruiki Mureithi (Kenya ICT Action Network,) Nii Narku Quanor (Former ICANN Board Director), Yurie Ito (ICANN) (10 minutes each)

This session covers the latest developments in the fight against DNS-related abuse such as phishing, malware and crimeware, and explains recent activities trying to limit such abuse. McTim, Muruiki Mureithi, and Nii Narku Quanor will address the regional challenges faced in Africa in responding to DNS-related abuse. Yuri Ito will report on the results of the ICANN and FIRST Joint Cyber Security Workshop, held in Nairobi in the days leading up to this session.

Questions and Answers

Session 2: Case Studies in Enhancing Cooperation among Law Enforcement and the Private Sector (17:00-17:45)

Panel: Leslie Cowley (Nominet); Shaundra Watson (U.S Federal Trade Commission), Debra Hughes (American Red Cross); Richard Boscovich (Microsoft)

The panel will explore methods of enhancing and coordinating the response from law enforcement and the private sector to online scams involving the DNS. Leslie Cowlie will report on the .uk registry's efforts with law enforcement to shut down domain names used by criminal networks selling counterfeit designer goods. Shaundra Watson will describe the FTC's efforts in shutting down the notorious Internet Service Provider 3FN involved in spam, phishing and distributing malicious electronic content. Debra Hughes will highlight the experience of the Red Cross in responding to opportunistic DNS abuse in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. Richard Boscovich will detail Microsoft's recent legal assault to take down the Waledac botnet network suspected of spreading spam and harmful computer code.

Questions and Answers

The Abuse of the DNS Forum has turned into one of the more popular recurring sessions at ICANN international meetings. Join us for informative, up-to-the-minute reports from the global war against DNS abuse.

Resources:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/06/3fn.shtm

http://cms.met.police.uk/news/policy_organisational_news_and_general_information/mps_e_crime_unit_takes_down_scam_websites

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575086523786147014.html?mod=WSJ_business_whatsNews

Women and Cybercrime in Kenya: The Dark Side of ICTS - Working Document v1