Russia Will Create Its Own Internet

Freedom on the Internet has diminished over the years in Russia: people go to jail for posts on social media, there's a ban on VPN services and expanded data storage is hard to come by. Recent moves by the Russian government indicate that further developments are yet to come.

According to a report by the domestic RBK web portal, Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017 ordered his government to negotiate independent root name servers for the so-called domain name system (DNS). 

This would include the BRICS states, which apart from Russia include Brazil, India, China and South Africa, by August 2018. These servers contain global databases of public IP addresses and their host names. If Russia had its own root servers, it could create a kind of Internet of its own, experts say.

The reason given is the "dominance of the US and a few EU states concerning Internet regulation" which Russia sees as a "serious danger" to its safety, RBK quotes from minutes taken at a meeting of the Russian Security Council. Having its own root servers would make Russia independent of monitors like the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and protect the country in the event of "outages or deliberate interference." Putin sees Internet as CIA tool

From Moscow's point of view, it would seem the threat of a confrontation with the West in Cyberspace has increased since Russia annexed Crimea. Russia took a closer look at its Internet, and found flaws.

The country and the economy are too big to live with that threat, Putin advisor Igor Shchegolev said in an interview with RBK. He pointed out North Korea and Syria experienced Internet outages for a few days. The US was believed to be behind the December 2015 outage in North Korea; Washington remained silent, however. Moscow doesn't plan to seal itself off completely, Shchegolev said, only to keep the internet working in the country should there be an "external influence." 

President Putin once commented that the Internet was developed as a CIA project and continues to move in that direction. Internet technology was in fact developed by order of the US Department of Defense and by that department's employees.

Preparing for Cyber Warfare

The Russian government can't abide the system because it's set up in a way that governments only have an advisory role with ICANN, said former ICANN board member Wolfgang Kleinwächter. "Unlike the UN Security Council, no one has a permanent seat with veto rights." Moscow, he added, is preparing for a kind of Cyber War. Moscow blogger Alexander Pluschtschev has another explanation: "For somebody, building an 'Internet for BRICS' is a very lucrative state job," he said, adding that it has little practical use.

An Eye on the Root

Russia's plans go right to the root of the Internet. The world's entire communication between computers uses all of 13 DNS root servers. The computers store the so-called zone files of top level domains (TLD) like .com (worldwide), .de for Germany or .ru for Russia. Ten root servers are located in the US, one each in The Netherlands, Sweden and Japan. In addition, there are hundreds of any cast-server networks worldwide, ten of them in Russia alone.

All root servers are independent. Until September 2016, the US government had oversight over the A root server, which stores the DNS master copy. Now an ICANN subsidiary is responsible for that server. ICANN's contract with the US Department of Commerce ended in 2016, and today, the corporation is a private non-profit company based in California headed by a 20-member board that includes experts from all over the world.

Politically Counter-Productive

A Russian root server doesn't make much sense, said cyber-security expert and ICAAN BoardMemeber  Wolfgang Kleinwächter. They always claim the US government can shut off a country from the Internet, he said. "That's utter nonsense."

"Even if the US president has control of the A root server, and he doesn't, deleting the zone files ending on .ru would make no sense at all because this zone file still exists on all the other root and any-cast servers," Kleinwächter argued, adding that sending emails might be a few milliseconds slower. "How would the Americans enforce deleting country zone files for political reasons from the any-cast servers in Moscow?" he said. "Such an order from the White House would not be politically counterproductive, it wouldn't work and it would be a joke for the global Internet community."

"There’s no off-switch," said ICANN Chief Technology Officer David Conrad. In theory, he explained, the US government could force ICANN, a US-based firm, to influence the top level domain concerning Russia, for instance to take the .ru from the root server, adding that connections would become more difficult but overall, it would have a limited effect.

The DNS, Conrad said, is based on trust. "If the US government were to do anything as crazy" as meddling with the root server, he explained, that trust would be gone, and alternative root servers would crop up. The damage to the Internet as a global market place and means of communication would surpass the benefit, he concluded.

Technically, Russia is in the position to set up its own root servers, but it would be difficult to get people to use them, said Kleinwächter. "China, for one, is not likely to follow suit."

Ein News

You Might Also Read: 

Russia Will Build A Separate Internet Directory:

China's Great Wall Into Russian Cybersecurity:

GCHQ To Create A UK National Firewall:

 

« Cyber Insurance: Good News & Bad News
Get Serious About Hardware Cybersecurity »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks is the industry leader in network innovation. We provide network infrastructure and network security solutions.

SecuriThings

SecuriThings

SecuriThings is a User and Entity Behavioral Analytics (UEBA) solution for IoT security.

Sigma Payment Solutions

Sigma Payment Solutions

Sigma Payment Solutions offers a comprehensive suite of automated payment processing services, solutions, and technology to businesses in the USA.

Agari

Agari

Agari is the Trusted Email Identity Company™, protecting brands and people from devastating phishing and socially-engineered attacks.

IDnext

IDnext

IDnext is the open and independent platform to support innovative approaches in the world of the Digital identity.

Eseye

Eseye

Eseye is a global specialist supplier of cellular internet connectivity for intelligent IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

InterVision

InterVision

InterVision is a leading Strategic Services Provider, assisting businesses in driving value and gaining a competitive edge by helping IT Leaders solve the most crucial challenges they face.

Innovent Recycling

Innovent Recycling

Innovent Recycling provides a secure IT recycling & data destruction service to all types of organizations across the UK.

Granted Consultancy

Granted Consultancy

Granted Consultancy is a business consultancy that specialises in securing funding to support companies with the development and commercialisation of new and innovative products and technologies.

TrustMAPP

TrustMAPP

TrustMAPP automates cybersecurity & privacy assessments, with universal workflow, allowing teams to generate analytics and recommendations to align priorities for improvement.

Oort

Oort

Oort is an identity threat detection and response platform for enterprise security. The Oort platform is API-driven, cloud-native and agentless for rapid time to value and high scalability.

Sev1Tech

Sev1Tech

Sev1Tech is a leading provider of IT modernization, cloud, cybersecurity, engineering, fielding, training, and program support services.

SyberFort

SyberFort

SyberFort offers a suite of SAAS-based platforms designed to fortify your digital defenses including Threat Intelligence and Brand Protection.

Triskele Labs

Triskele Labs

Triskele Labs deliver services including Penetration Testing, Compliance and Risk Management through to 24*7*365 Security Operations and outsourced Cybersecurity Managers.

Btech

Btech

Btech is the market leader in providing affordable managed IT security services for credit unions.

Softsource vBridge

Softsource vBridge

Softsource vBridge are an ICT systems integrator providing specialist technology solutions, professional services, technical expertise and data centre services.