The new issue of Internet from the Inside was presented at the Peering Forum 2025, held in Moscow on November 17. The focus of this edition is malware on the internet, with contributors examining how the very qualities that make the web so valuable – such as openness and global connectivity – have also become advantageous for malicious activities. The published articles delve into the components of the internet security ecosystem, its operational and interactional mechanisms, and emerging trends.
Yevgeny Pankov, a data analyst at the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ, shared insights in an interview on key cyber threat trends in Runet and the current state of protection for Russia’s domain infrastructure. He noted that anti-phishing mechanisms in the Russian internet have significantly improved in recent years, with phishing domains now having shorter lifespans – making them less profitable for fraudsters.
“As a result, scammers are shifting to messaging platforms: in the first eight months of 2025, the number of domains impersonating Telegram nearly quadrupled, with a similar upward trend observed for WhatsApp,” Pankov explained.
Another concerning trend is the rise in malware-based attacks: over 5,000 complaints were filed in the first eight months of this year, nearly triple the figure for the same period in 2024.
The issue also includes an article by Mikhail Kader analyzing the current state of this shell-vs-armor race between malware and defense mechanisms, as well as trends in both malicious software and protective measures. Nikolai Gavrichenko (InData) reflects on the evolution of phishing, while Alexey Antonov (Kaspersky Lab) discusses how artificial intelligence is reshaping the cyber threat landscape and the evolution of defensive tools. A unique perspective on telecommunications history is offered by Alexey Kipchatov in his article titled Signs of a Fading Telecom Era in Cast Iron. Beneath cast-iron manhole covers – artifacts of this nearly two-century-old industry – lie fascinating insights into the development of communication businesses and technologies in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Additionally, the issue explores internet governance. Geoff Huston (APNIC) examines global and national-level internet governance in his article Internet Governance – The End of Multi-Stakeholderism? tracing its evolution over the past two decades since its inception. Meanwhile, Andrey Yurov (InData) discusses new proposals for managing regional internet registries and a functional model project for the DNS root server system – initiatives that are reshaping the rules of practical internet governance and directly impacting the network’s resilience and future development.
Internet from the Inside remains at the forefront of emerging trends, continuing to provide expert coverage of the most compelling and relevant topics in IT, telecommunications, and the internet industry.
