APAC DNS Forum 2023 Pre-Event Webinars

In the lead up to the APAC DNS Forum 2023, four pre-event webinars were led by community members to discuss topics of interest in relation to the Forum’s theme: “Reimagining the Internet: Digital Transformation that Matters”. Community members leading the pre-event webinars shared key highlights from their sessions with Forum participants.

APAC DNS Forum 2023 Pre-event Webinars

DNS Operation and Challenges Up on the Cloud

Led by: InForSec Forum, Alibaba Cloud, and Qi-Anxin Group
Tuesday, 20 June 2023, 1000-1130hrs SGT (UTC+8) 

Session Description

From public recursive resolvers to large authoritative services, the DNS has quickly adapted itself to the emerging cloud infrastructure. Recent data shows some 20% of Internet users configure public DNS resolvers, and a handful of cloud providers are delegated authority for massive domain names. While offered with more service flexibility, the DNS faces challenges moving up onto the cloud: novel attack surfaces and abuse, increased operation complexity, service centralization, and possibly more within technical and administrative perspectives.

This session solicits four talks about challenges and good practices when DNS meets the cloud.Speakers from the academia, industry, and also cloud DNS providers themselves in the APAC region and beyond will share their recent inspirations over this topic. In addition to pointing out operational challenges and security problems, the invited talks are also expected to initiate discussions on how the broader DNS community should react.

Moderator

Mr Chaoyi LU

Mr Chaoyi LU

Chaoyi Lu is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Network Sciences and Cyberspace, Tsinghua University. His research area lies in network security and Internet measurement, with particular interests in the DNS and other infrastructure. He has published papers at top academic venues and is a recipient of IRTF Applied Networking Research Prize (ANRP).

Speakers

Mr Jan SCHAUMANN

Mr Jan SCHAUMANN

Jan Schaumann is a Distinguished Infrastructure Security Architect and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science with more than 20 years of experience building and securing high-availability services at internet scale. Chances are you’ve interacted directly or indirectly with code, sites, and systems on the internet that he has touched. (He’d like to apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused.) You can follow Jan on Mastodon or enjoy in-depth articles from his blog.

Mr Fenglu ZHANG

Mr Fenglu ZHANG

Fenglu Zhang, a Ph.D. student at Tsinghua University, is a member of Network and Information Security Lab (NISL). His research interests include internet measurement and network security. Recently he focused on the efficiency and security of DNS servers. His research papers are published or accepted at CCS, NDSS, and PAM. He is also a CTF player as a member of Redbud, Bluelotus, and Tea-Deliverers.​

Mr Yong MA

Mr Yong MA

Yong Ma has been working for Alibaba Cloud since July 2017. He is a principal engineer leading the DNS development and operation team. He has rich experience in the security and stability of DNS systems especially the large-scaled cloud-based DNS system. He made effective explorations and practices in the field of combining traditional DNS technology and cloud technology to encounter new challenges of DNS security and stability. During his 17-year career, he has been engaged in the development and research work related to network technologies. He previously worked at Ericsson as a senior software engineer for 7 years. His work covered CDMA Core Network, WCDMA RAN, and 5G vRAN related products.

Mr Xuebiao YUCHI

Mr Xuebiao YUCHI

Xuebiao Yuchi is a research fellow serving at China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). He received his PhD from Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2012, and formerly served as a postdoc at Tennessee State University, USA. His research interests include DNS and DNS Abuse, and he has published one Springer book and over twenty research papers in IEEE Services, IEEE MilCom, etc. Currently, he also serves as a member of ICANN ccNSO DNS Abuse Standing Committee.

Internet Immunity: Building Defenses Against Online Fraud and Scams

Led by: Spamhaus & YiAn Technology
Wednesday, 21 June 2023, 1500-1630hrs SGT (UTC+8)

Session Description

This webinar is designed to offer comprehensive knowledge on combating online fraud and scams by incorporating discussions that encompass a thorough understanding of cyber fraud, current trends, legal context, actual case studies, and prevention strategies and best practices. Central to the design strategy is diversity and inclusivity, attracting and informing a range of audience members, including cyber-security professionals, business leaders, and the general public. Beyond educational content, we also include a Q&A segment to encourage audience participation, invite questions, and fully utilize the expertise of our panelists and guests.

Moderator

Mr Kevin LIU

Mr Kevin LIU

Kevin Liu has over 10 years of experience in the domain and cybersecurity industry. He has in-depth knowledge and expertise in areas such as Domain Name, DNS, Threat Intelligence, and OSINT. He is committed to promoting international collaboration in cybersecurity and fostering cross-industry communication between DNS and cybersecurity industries.

Speakers

Mr Carel BITTER

Mr Carel BITTER

Carel is part of the very fabric of The Spamhaus Project, having been with Spamhaus for over a decade. Most of his time is spent investigating how a bad actor’s infrastructure operates – and ensures internet users are protected from nefarious activity.

From malware and snowshoe spam to DNS, domains, and everything in between, Carel is always absorbed in a cat-and-mouse game, tenaciously and tirelessly hunting down malicious entities. With a focus on reputation across all internet resources, Carel enjoys reviewing any (and all) data that helps provide context, and ultimately protection.

Mr Tim HELMING

Mr Tim HELMING

Tim Helming, DomainTools Security Evangelist, has over 20 years of experience in information security, from DNS and network to cloud to application and ICS attacks and defenses. At DomainTools, he applies this background to helping organizations understand the threat landscape, especially in the area of malicious online infrastructure. He also helps evangelize the company’s growing portfolio of investigative and proactive cyber defense offerings.

Mr Jorij ABRAHAM

Mr Jorij ABRAHAM

Jorij Abraham has been part of the international eCommerce community since 1997. He has been manager e-commerce at Bijenkorf (an upmarket department store chain), TUI (Europe’s largest travel organization), online publisher at Sanoma Media (the largest media company in the Benelux) and Director of Consulting as Unic (an Europe wide e-commerce strategy & implementation firm).

From 2013 – 2017 he has been Director of Research & Advise at Thuiswinkel.org (the Dutch Ecommerce Association) and Ecommerce Europe (the European Ecommerce Association with 25.000+ members in 20 countries).

He now is Managing Director of the Global Anti Scam Alliance, whose mission is to prevent consumers worldwide from getting scammed and ScamAdviser.com, the global blacklist for malicious websites.

Mr LIU Yue

Mr LIU Yue

Liu Yue is a China-based research fellow on Internet Governance, Cyber security, Internet critical resource, and Information and Communications Technology policy.

He is the vice director of the security research institute at China’s Academy of Information and Communications Technology(CAICT).Previously, he was the executive director of the Center of Internet Governance Research at CAICT.

He is a member of ATRT3 and Co-lead of GAC work group.

He graduated from Tsinghua university and got a bachelor and a PhD of engineering in electronics science and technology.

Community Effort on DNS Abuse Reporting

Led by: Mr Satish Babu, ALAC
Thursday, 22 June 2023, 1100-1200hrs SGT (UTC+8)

Session Description

As a critical part of the Internet, the DNS has been increasingly vulnerable to different forms of abuse. DNS Abuse has been defined as being comprised of five categories of harmful activity, viz., malware, botnets, phishing, pharming, and spam (when used as a delivery mechanism for the other forms of DNS Abuse).

The DNS industry and the community around it have tried to respond to the challenges by several means, including developing and enforcing policies and procedures, working with law enforcement, and educating the public. Several forms of DNS Abuse reporting have been put into place, including DAAR from ICANN and NetBeacon from the DNS Abuse Institute.

The proposed 60-min session will examine the strategies and means to bring the At-Large community into playing a significant role in reporting abuse, including awareness building as well as the metric for tracking and reporting. The panelists will consist of community experts in DNS Abuse and APRALO leaders, and will be moderated by a leader of the Asia-Pacific ICANN community.

Moderator

Mr Satish BABU

Mr Satish BABU

Satish Babu is a software designer, IT Entrepreneur, Internet Governance professional, and an early advocate of open source philosophies. He has actively volunteered in multiple international technical organizations including ICANN, Internet Society, IEEE, and the UN IGF in the last two decades. He was the Chair of APRALO from 2016 to 2022, and presently services on the ALAC. In the Universal Acceptance community, Satish chairs the UA Tech Working Group.

Speakers

Ms Maureen HILYARD

Ms Maureen HILYARD

Maureen Hilyard is a former ALAC Chair and in 2023 is completing ten years on the ALAC. She was the ALAC Liaison to the ccNSO (2013-2016), ALAC Vice Chair in 2017 then the Chair (2018-2022).  Her next ALAC-appointed role will be as the APRALO delegate to the NomCom. She is a former Chair of the Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) and has been a member of the Internet Society since 2006. She was a former Chair of the DotAsia Board having been on the Board since 2016 and after a year away has been re-elected to the Board. Maureen was on the PIR Advisory Council for several years and has just completed a 2-year term on the DNS Abuse Institute Advisory Council. She is the founder of the Cook Islands Internet Action Group (CIIAG) which has been an ALS of APRALO since 2010. As a day job, Maureen is a Development Consultant where most of her work has focused on environmental safeguards and sustainability. She is currently the Coordinator-Consultant of the Digital Transformation Strategy for the Office of the Prime Minister in the Cook Islands. Maureen’s former career was in Education, but she also has a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Management from Massey University in New Zealand. 

Mr Edmon CHUNG

Mr Edmon CHUNG

Edmon Chung is a social innovator and entrepreneur. Edmon currently serves as the CEO of DotAsia Organisation, serves on the Executive Committee of Internet Society Hong Kong (ISOC HK), the Board of Make a Difference (MaD) Institute, and heads the secretariat for the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF). Edmon served also on the founding board of the Internet Governance Forum Support Association (IGFSA), continues to support its secretariat, cofounded the annual Hong Kong Kids International Film Festival (KIFF.Asia), and participates extensively on Internet governance and social innovation matters. Edmon is an inventor of patents of internationalized domain names (IDN) and email addresses technologies, and has served on many global IDN related technical and policy groups, that made possible the introduction of multilingual domain names and email addresses on the Internet. Edmon won the Most Innovative Award in the Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurship Award in 2001. In 2000, Edmon was selected by The Globe and Mail as one of the Young Canadian Leaders.

Between 2006 and 2010, Edmon served on the ICANN Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council, between 2010 and 2012 on the ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), and between 2006 and 2011, as an elected member of the Elections Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Information Technology Subsector. Edmon has a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Engineering from the University of Toronto. He was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board by the Nominating Committee in 2021. His term will expire at the Annual General Meeting in 2024.

Ms Amrita CHOUDHURY

Ms Amrita CHOUDHURY

Amrita Choudhury is the Director of CCAOI, serves as UN IGF MAG, Chair Internet Governance Forum Support Association (IGFSA), Chair APRALO at ICANN, President of Internet Society India Delhi Chapter. She co-founded the India School on Internet Governance (inSIG) and is a Coordination Committee member of India IGF (IIGF). She curates for the Geneva Internet Governance Platform (GIP) & advises youth initiatives such as Youth IGF India.

Ms Rowena SCHOO

Ms Rowena SCHOO

Rowena Schoo is Director, Programs and Policy at the DNS Abuse Institute. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked for Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, Nominet UK, and the UK government at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Rowena has over a decade of experience in and around policy, and holds two degrees – Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts (International Relations and Political Science) – from the Australian National University (ANU).

Do You Have a Website? Registering and Managing Domain Names in the APAC Region: Here’s What You Need to Know.

Led by: ICANN
Tuesday, 27 June 2023, 1100-1200hrs SGT (UTC+8)

Session Description

Do you have your own website? Then you are a domain name holder or registrant. For many domain name holders, domain names or known as “web address” (and the services connected to them, like websites and emails) are essential to their professional and personal lives. Whether used for online commerce, or simply to communicate with family and friends, domain names are valuable assets and should be managed with care. This session will offer some tips and best practices for registering and managing domain names.

Moderator

Mr Jia-Rong LOW

Mr Jia-Rong LOW

Jia-Rong Low joined ICANN in August 2013. He is currently the Vice President, Global Stakeholder Engagement, and concurrently Managing Director for the Asia Pacific (APAC) regional office. Stationed in Singapore, Jia-Rong works with key stakeholders to bring ICANN to the region and facilitate stakeholders to participate in multistakeholder Internet governance.

Prior to joining ICANN, Jia-Rong served at Singbridge International, a Singapore government-linked company specializing in sustainable urban development projects. A former diplomat, Jia-Rong worked for Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as First Secretary (Political) at the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. Jia-Rong is very familiar with the region, having represented Singapore in engaging the region’s governments such as Thailand, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

Jia-Rong holds a Diploma in International Trade Law from WTO in Geneva, Switzerland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Communications Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

Speakers

Mr Brian GUTTERMAN

Mr Brian GUTTERMAN

Brian has been with the ICANN organization since May 2017. He currently serves as a Senior Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Global Domains and Strategy (GDS). The Strategic Initiatives team works on key programs and projects involving ICANN’s engagement in emerging strategic issues and related work. Brian currently also leads the ICANN org Registrant Program.

About APAC DNS Forum Pre-Event Webinars

Community-led Webinars
Selection Process
Important Timeline
FAQ

The APAC DNS Forum pre-event webinars are led by interested community members, to discuss topics relevant to the Forum theme “Reimagining the Internet: Digital Transformation that Matters”. The webinar could cover one (or more) of the following aspects:
(i) Technical topics
(ii) DNS industry topics
(iii) Broader topics such as Internet public policy and technological developments

The pre-event webinars aim to achieve the following:
(i) Share latest news/important information
(ii) Initiate collaborative discussion on solving/addressing a defined problem statement

The community is invited to submit proposals with the following information. The final selection is based on the proposal topic as well as the availability of the date for the session.
(i) Title

(ii) Objective

(iii) Agenda (including proposed speakers)

(iv) Date (please indicate your top 2 preferred session timings out of the following four sessions):

  • Tuesday, 20 June 2023, 0300hrs UTC (1100hrs SGT)
  • Wednesday, 21 June 2023, 0300hrs UTC (1100hrs SGT)
  • Thursday, 22 June 2023, 0300hrs UTC (1100hrs SGT)
  • Tuesday, 27 June 2023, 0300hrs UTC (1100hrs SGT)

(v) Duration (each webinar should range between 60-90 minutes)

(vi) Description

(vii) Hosting of the webinar – self-hosted OR support is required from ICANN i.e., ICANN org can help to host the webinar via Zoom.

(Note: Information on the webinars will be posted on the APAC DNS Forum website. The link for joining the webinar will be shared on the website 24 hours prior to the start of the session.)

Selected proposals will be announced by Thursday, 1 June 2023.

Proposers for selected sessions are expected to finalize their moderator and speakers by Friday, 9 June 2023.