The project to sign the DNS root zone with DNSSEC took an additional step toward completion yesterday with the last of the “root server” hosts switching to serving signed DNSSEC data. Now every DNS query to a root server can return DNSSEC-signed data, albeit the “deliberately unvalidatable” data prior to the final launch.
Another key piece for a working signed root is the acceptance of trust anchors in the form of DS records from top-level domain operators. These trust anchors are used to form the chain of trust from the root zone to the TLD.
To accept these, today we have published a draft procedure on how TLD operators can submit them. It is really quite simple, as it is modeled on the same procedure TLD operators use today to make other kinds of root zone changes. We are also working to integrate DNSSEC support into online web-based software that, in the future, will allow TLD operators to manage their delegations through a secure website.
We are publishing the drafts for community review, and appreciate your feedback to rootsign@icann.org.
