DNSSEC, a protocol that improves the security of DNS against different types of attacks seeking to divert traffic from websites, was made available to the .fr TLD by Afnic in September 2010. Backed by its expertise and as part of its task as the registry for the .fr ccTLD, Afnic wants to encourage innovation in the .fr namespace and further strengthen the security of the Internet Infrastructure in France. With this aim in mind, the registry has decided to undertake a major campaign to promote DNSSEC for the key stakeholders in DNS resolution.
The strategic plan is based on several action levers, the initial initiatives being as follows:
- A Practical Guide to DNSSEC deployment: this implementation and deployment manual provides practical guidance for DNS hosts to configure DNSSEC on their infrastructure;
- Special DNSSEC training, in partnership with HSC for those involved in DNS hosting in France;
- A financial incentive scheme. Until 31 December 2013, Afnic is offering its accredited registrars a 10% discount on the price of creation and keep options for DNSSEC signed domain names under the .fr TLD.
For Mathieu Weill, CEO of AFNIC “By allocating human and financial resources to the promotion of DNSSEC among our registrars, we are illustrating our support for French stakeholders in putting the .fr ccTLD on the leading edge in security.“
About Afnic
Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.
In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.
Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.
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