Introducing Collaborative Software

By now, domain name system (DNS) servers have achieved a fair amount of exposure in the public eye. This is largely due to the fact that unknown hacker groups have brazenly used distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to bring many DNS servers to a crashing halt. Since these hacking attacks regularly make front-page news, the general public is more aware than ever that DNS is the backbone of the Web. However, far fewer people realize that the Internet needs more open source domain name service if DDoS is to become a rare occurrence once more.

Although for-profit DNS providers work hard to foil hackers, certain aspects of corporate governance stand in the way of unfettered technical innovation. For-profit tech companies naturally tend to be secretive about the inner workings of their infrastructures. Since commercial DNS providers and security firms compete directly, each company sees only a small part of the larger picture when it comes to cybersecurity. Even including major national governments, nonprofits only provide a small part of the overall pool of cybersecurity expertise. Since open source software is released to the public free of charge, open source development attracts idealistic cybersecurity experts who would otherwise remain in the shadows. Anyone is free to edit or add to open source software. In a unique and powerful way, open source programmers share crucial information about security risks.

The open source movement could do much to reduce the Internet’s vulnerability to DNS hijacking and DDoS attacks. This massive collaborative effort unites people from throughout the world. Whether one operates a true domain name server or a virtual one, open source provides a incomplete but welcome answer for insecurity. You can find more information at www.bluecatnetworks.com.

Using Open Source Domain Name Service To Counter ISPs

Although ISPs have every legal right to redirect users to any sites they wish, many users have complained about the way some ISPs brazenly hijack misspelled URLs. Some ISPs have partnerships with promotional sites and receive some financial rewards for redirecting users to their partners. Needless to say, this troubling occurrence is rare. Most ISPs engage in fully ethical and praiseworthy behavior.

Open source domain name servers allow people to take control of their online lives. It is highly possible that these open source servers will greatly multiply over time. While using one of these alternative servers requires altering a few router settings, most people of average intelligence can easily make these alterations with proper instructions. At least in North America, it seems clear that for-profit domain name software will remain completely dominant into the foreseeable future. However, every person who uses open source domain name software helps reverse this trend in a small but important way.