Research and development

SIDN Labs is SIDN's R&D team. SIDN's research activities have three aims:

  1. To continue SIDN's development as a leading internet technology expertise centre
  2. To develop new techniques and systems for the further innovation of SIDN's services
  3. To facilitate external research that offers added value for .nl and for the Netherlands' international position

One of SIDN Labs' main focuses is further enhancement of the stability and security of the DNS. In that field, SIDN Labs often works in partnership with universities and commercial R&D teams.

WEIRDS for .nl

Each registry provides a Whois service, which can be used to look up information about existing domain names. The information provided usually consists of the name and address of the registrant and details of the registrar through whom the domain name is registered. However, the form in which the information is displayed or communicated is not standardised. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is therefore developing a new standard for Whois services, called WEIRDS. In 2013, SIDN Labs produced an application, which automatically converts output from the .nl Whois to the new standard. The application has been made available to all .nl registrars in pilot form.

PI.Lab

The PI.Lab is a joint venture between SIDN, TNO, Radboud University Nijmegen and Tilburg University. It operates as an expertise centre, developing solutions to increase on-line privacy and aid the management of electronic identities. The PI.Lab is unique, because it addresses the technical, legal and socioeconomic aspects of privacy and identity on an integrated basis. Another feature that distinguishes the PI.Lab is the utilisation of acquired knowledge, through the provision of consultancy services to the public and private sectors, for example.
One project that SIDN Labs was involved in during 2013 was the further development of IRMA ('I Reveal My Attributes'), a technology that can be used for age verification, for example. In 2014, SIDN will continue exploring IRMA, in order to work out the associated organisational network, for instance. There are also plans to organise a pilot project in collaboration with Radboud University Nijmegen and SURFnet.

AbuseHUB

The Abuse Information Exchange is a unique collaboration involving SIDN, eight Dutch internet service providers and SURFnet, supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and ECP. The Exchange was set up with a view to reducing botnet infections in the Netherlands, thereby increasing internet security. Botnets are networks of computers that, unknown to their owners, have been infected with a virus or other malware, enabling someone else to control them. Botnets are widely used for sending spam and mounting DDoS attacks.

With the assistance of software developer Ibuildings, in 2013 the Abuse Information Exchange created the AbuseHUB. The HUB is a system that collates, analyses and sorts botnet infection reports and sends the findings to affiliated organisations. Prompt, targeted action can then be taken to deal with infections, thus limiting the damage that botnets can do.

In 2013, SIDN Labs and the Exchange's other members actively contributed to specification of the technical requirements for the AbuseHUB. The HUB is operated by SIDN's production departments in conjunction with SURFnet.

Secure transfer of DNSSEC-domain names

SIDN has developed a unique solution for the secure transfer of domain names protected with DNSSEC. Known as 'key relay', the procedure has been submitted to the IETF as an 'internet draft' for extension of the Extensible Provisioning Protocol. Key relay will probably be adopted in 2014 as the international standard for the secure transfer of DNSSEC-protected domain names.

Domain Name
Surveillance Service

In 2013, SIDN developed the prototype of a new service: the Domain Name Surveillance Service. The service is designed to identify cases of typosquatting: a form of abuse that involves the registration of a domain name that is similar to the name of a well-known domain. So digit.nl might be registered because of its similarity to digid.nl.

Then, if an internet user makes a slip at the keyboard, they find themselves on the squatter's site, which may be set up to trick them into disclosing personal details, for example. This form of phishing can cause a great deal of harm. The Domain Name Surveillance Service automatically brings possible typosquats to the service user's attention, so that action can be taken. The service has been successfully piloted with a major financial service provider and will be made market-ready in 2014.