What is Guardian?

Guardian is the term used to describe the authentication and authorization process used to add security to registry transactions at the InterNIC. Specifically, Guardian includes the release of three new forms: a host template, a contact template and a revision of the Domain Name Registration Agreement to Version 3.5. The new forms were designed to aid the InterNIC in improving its service to the Internet community by providing faster service and improving the security of database transactions.

Guardian allows a registry customer to associate a security scheme with the objects they register with the InterNIC. Pertinent features of the new forms include:

Contact template

The new contact template will assist users who are a point of contact for domains and network records in updating information associated with their user record (NIC handle).

The contact template will also allow a contact to associate an encrypted password or a PGP key with their record. If a contact chooses this type of authentication, all domain, host, and network records with which the contact is associated will automatically be protected.

Internet providers will have the opportunity to prevent lame delegations by using the BEFORE-USE option on the contact template. This feature will allow a contact for a name server to be notified before their name server is used on a domain record. This feature is optional.

Host template

The host template can be used to assign a contact to a name server, update the name of a host or change the IP address of a host.

Domain Name Registration Agreement

The new Agreement will require that all updates to domain records be submitted -- or acknowledged -- by a point of contact for the domain. If the contacts for the domain do not submit or acknowledge an update, the domain name holder must acknowledge that the request is valid.

If a request to update a domain name record does not come from the administrative or technical contact of the domain, the contacts will be notified before any change is made to the domain name record. If the current administrative or technical contact of a domain name acknowledges that the update is authorized via electronic mail, the update will be completed.