First TLD ISAC is live

The first centre for the exchange of information and the analysis of cyberthreat data started its work in mid-September 2023. It promotes the security and resilience of registries of European top level domains such as .ch.

Text: Roland Eugster, published on 10. October 2023

We live in a time when the European e-Economy is more dependent on a secure and functioning digital infrastructure than ever before. The European Top Level Domain Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EUR TLD ISAC) officially started operations on 19 September 2023. Its aim is to strengthen the security and resilience of its members against cyberthreats and to improve the fight against cybercrime. Its members are the operating organisations - called registries - of top-level domains in Europe. Switch, as the registry of .ch and .li, is one of them. Its most important tasks include the exchange of information and the promotion of cooperation and best practices among its members.

«Sharing collective knowledge and working together is critical to success.»
Michael Hausding
DNS and domain abuse security expert at Switch and founding member of EUR TLD ISAC

The TLD ISAC brings together registries, IT security professionals and other stakeholders to share information about threats, identify emerging trends and develop proactive measures to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks. By fostering a culture of trust, transparency and partnership, it improves the security of European top-level domain registries, protecting a critical infrastructure of the digital economy.

With the launch of its website, the TLD ISAC is creating a platform where European registries can share their collective challenges, collective knowledge, latest ideas and best practices to more effectively address cyberthreats.

Cooperation is crucial for success

Switch is one of the twelve founding members of the TLD ISAC. Michael Hausding, a long-standing and very experienced security expert for DNS and domain abuse from Switch is a member of the Steering Committee. Thanks to his commitment, the TLD ISAC is geared towards the whole of Europe instead of just the member states of the European Union. This enabled Switch to help shape the activities from the outset, to contribute its own know-how and to benefit from the collective knowledge of the community. Michael Hausding therefore emphasises the importance of international cooperation:

«With the TLD ISAC, we are promoting the constant enhancement of the security and robustness of the Internet. We know from our ongoing commitment at national and international level that there is only one common path to a secure digital future. That's why we are participating in this joint project, because sharing the collective expertise and collaboration among members is critical to our success.»

TLD ISAC Working Group

At the heart of the ISAC TLD is its working group. Partick Leu, a member of the working group and Information Security Officer at Switch, explains:

«It will allow us to use the shared knowledge of all members across Europe to further improve cybersecurity and response to new cyberthreats. The new website takes on an important facilitation function. It shows interested stakeholders what the ISAC has to offer and how important its contribution is to global cybersecurity.»
Patrick Leu
Information Security Officer, Switch

The website will feature a resource library with content created by experts from the TLD ISAC working group. The website starts with an article on maturity measurement. Two more articles - one on DDOS attacks on authoritative servers and the use of firewalls and one on unpatched DNS servers in internal networks - will follow soon.

The TLD ISAC is supported by CENTR, the association of European ccTLD registries (country code Top Level Domain). Strategic oversight and impetus come from the Steering Committee, which consists of the founding members of the TLD ISAC. At a later stage, the TLD ISAC will also accept cooperation partners. Interested parties are welcome to contact the Steering Committee and the working group.