How Secure are the Root DNS Servers?

On October 21, 2002, the Internet was the target of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The extent and scope of the impact has been the subject of several forums. Primarily, these discussions have centered on how vulnerable are the 'venerable' root name servers that are at the top of the Internet hierarchy. This attack impacted 9 of the 13 root name servers. This paper is meant to provide the reader with insight into what the root server is and how the root name servers system operates; the threats to which the root servers are vulnerable what countermeasures have been implemented for protection; a summary of the October 21 2002 incident; and industry analysis of the root name server system. This paper is intended as an overview for a general audience. References and links are provided for those who want more technical insight. The purpose is to provide the current state of the root name server system and its operation. The reader will be left to do a final evaluation of the confidentiality availability and integrity strength of the root name servers and the root name server system.