Since February 2024, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)'s Security, Stability and Resiliency (SSR) research team has noticed a marked uptick in reports within the Domain Abuse Activity Reporting (DAAR) system.
The increase began in February 2024 and has continued for the last several months. The SSR team has been closely observing and investigating potential factors, drawing insights from the available input Reputation Block List (RBL) data and metrics, as well as insights provided by the contractors who developed DAAR.
The SSR team identified several reasons for the growth in the number of abused domain names reported. These include changes that took place to the measurement infrastructure of RBLs, and RBL policy changes. Even so, they have not yet been able to identify a single, specific contributing factor that would explain the size of the uptick. As soon as ICANN can gather further details, the SSR team will release a more detailed blog post to inform the community about this shift and offer clarity on the matter.
ICANN urges all community members to continue to examine trends in RBL data and DNS abuse and to communicate with the SSR team any inquiries or issues they may encounter at daar@icann.org.
Working collaboratively, we can ensure the community has access to reliable data that supports fact-based decision-making and discussion on the topic of domain name abuse. Your ongoing support and involvement in our efforts to uphold a robust and resilient domain name system are greatly valued and appreciated.