The number of domains that use DNSSEC mechanisms of protection in the national domain of the Netherlands .NL, has exceeded two million. This milestone was reached after two large Dutch registrars – Yourhosting and Antagonist – integrated DNSSEC. Taking into account that domain .NL has more than 5.5 million names, the share of domains protected by DNSSEC has exceeded 36%. The Netherlands is one of the world leaders by this indicator.
Representatives of SIDN, national registry of Holland, point out that further implementation of DNSSEC is largely dependent on small registrars that operate a pool of several thousand names. “Small businesses can’t easily afford to develop their own solutions”, explains Michiel Henneke, Marketing Manager at SIDN. “They tend to be dependent on the software suppliers.” Accordingly, SIDN’s mission is to stimulate developers to integrate DNSSEC support into their products and also in further support of the registrars in their efforts to strengthen protection.
Marina Nikerova, senior deputy director at Technical Center of Internet, believes that the main problem when integrating DNSSEC is so-called “network effect”: “If there are not so many signed domains, than providers are not eager to put validating resolvers for identification, but the whole idea of signing domains is senseless without them. On the other hand, users do not seek signing the domains, because there are not enough resolvers that could show the superiority of one over another. The situation might change on its own only when the number of domains is enough. After reaching the “critical mass” both sides will cooperate in the implementation of new infrastructure solutions. The Netherlands were able to surpass this barrier because of the government support and special registrar policy, which makes the signature more lucrative for the users.”
