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In an exciting milestone achieved by CyberPeace, an ICANN APRALO At-Large organization, in collaboration with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), has successfully deployed and made operational an L-root server instance in Ranchi, Jharkhand. This initiative marks a significant step toward enhancing the resilience, speed, and security of internet connectivity in eastern India.

Understanding the DNS hierarchy – Starting from Root

Internet users access online information through different domain names and interactions with any web browser takes place through IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. Domain Name System (DNS) functions as the internet's equivalent of Yellow Pages or the phonebook of cyberspace. When a person uses a domain name like www.cyberpeace.org to access a website, their browser communicates with the internet protocol, and DNS converts the domain name to the corresponding IP address so that web browsers may load the web pages. The function of a DNS is to convert domain names to Internet Protocol addresses. It enables the respective browsers to load the resources from the Internet.

When a user types a domain name into your browser, a DNS query works behind the scenes to find the website’s IP address. First, your device asks a DNS resolver—often provided by your ISP or a third-party service—for the address. The resolver checks its cache for a match, and if none is found, it queries a root server to locate the top-level domain (TLD) server (like .com or .org). The resolver then asks the TLD server for the Authoritative nameserver responsible for the particular domain, which provides the specific IP address. Finally, the resolver sends this address back to your device, enabling it to connect to the website’s server and load the page. The entire process happens in milliseconds, ensuring seamless browsing.

Special focus on Root Server:

A root server is a name server that directly answers queries for records in the root zone and redirects requests for more specific domains to the appropriate top-level domain (TLD) servers. Root servers are an integral part of this system, acting as the first step in resolving a domain name into its corresponding IP address. They provide the initial direction needed to locate the authoritative servers for any domain.

The DNS root zone is served by 13 unique IP addresses, supported by hundreds of redundant root servers distributed worldwide connected through Anycast Routing to manage requests efficiently. As of January 8, 2025, the global root server system consists of 1921 instances operated by 12 independent root server operators. These servers ensure the smooth functioning of the internet by managing the backbone of DNS queries.

Type of Root Server Instances:

Well, in this regard,  there are two types of root server instances that can be found– Global instance and Local instance. 

Global root server instances are the primary root servers distributed strategically around the world. Local instances, on the other hand, are replicas of these global servers deployed in specific regions to handle local DNS traffic more efficiently. In each operator's list of sites, some instances are marked as global (globe icon) and some are marked as local (flag icon). The difference is in how widely available that instance will be, because of how routing for that instance is done. Recall that the routes for an instance are announced by BGP, the inter-domain routing protocol.

For global instances, the route advertisement is permitted to spread throughout the Internet, i.e., any router on the Internet could know the path to that instance. Of course, for a particular source, the route to that instance may not be the optimal route, so some other instance could be chosen as the destination.

With a local instance, however, the route advertisement is limited to only nearby networks. For example, the instance may be visible to just one ISP, or to ISPs that connect at a particular exchange point. Sources from farther away will not be able to see and query that local instance.

Deployment in Ranchi - The Journey & Significance:

CyberPeace in Collaboration with ICANN has successfully deployed an L-root server instance in Ranchi, marking a significant milestone in enhancing regional Internet infrastructure. This deployment, part of a global network of root servers, ensures faster and more reliable DNS query resolution for the region, reducing latency and enhancing cybersecurity. 

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The Journey of deploying the L-Root instance in Collaboration with ICANN followed the steps-
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• Signing the Agreement: Finalized the L-SINGLE Hosting Agreement with ICANN to formalize the partnership.
• Procuring the Hardware: Acquired the required hardware appliance to meet technical standards for hosting the L-root server.
• Setup and Installation: Configured and installed the appliance to prepare it for seamless operation.
• Joining the Anycast Network: Integrated the server into ICANN's global Anycast network using BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) for efficient DNS traffic management.

The deployment of the L-root server in Ranchi marks a significant boost to the region’s digital ecosystem. It accelerates DNS query resolution, reducing latency and enhancing internet speed and reliability for users.

This instance strengthens cyber defenses by mitigating Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) risks and managing local traffic efficiently. It also underscores Eastern India’s advanced digital infrastructure, aligning with initiatives like Digital India to meet evolving digital demands.

By handling local queries, the L-root server eases the load on global servers, contributing to a more stable and resilient global internet.

CyberPeace’s Commitment to a Secure and resilient Cyberspace

As an organization dedicated to promoting peace, security and resilience in cyberspace, CyberPeace views this collaboration with ICANN as a significant achievement in its mission. By strengthening the internet’s backbone in eastern India, this deployment underscores our commitment to enabling a secure, accessible, and resilient digital ecosystem. 

Way forward and Roadmap for Strengthening India’s DNS Infrastructure:

The successful deployment of the L-root instance in Ranchi is a stepping stone toward bolstering India's digital ecosystem. CyberPeace aims to promote awareness about DNS infrastructure through workshops and seminars, emphasizing its critical role in a resilient digital future.

With plans to deploy more such root server instances across India, the focus is on expanding local DNS infrastructure to enhance efficiency and security. Collaborative efforts with government agencies, ISPs, and tech organizations will drive this vision forward. A robust monitoring framework will ensure optimal performance and long-term sustainability of these initiatives.

Conclusion

The deployment of the L-root server instance in Eastern India represents a monumental step toward strengthening the region’s digital foundation. As Ranchi joins the network of cities hosting root server instances, the benefits will extend not only to the local community but also to the global internet ecosystem. With this milestone, CyberPeace reaffirms its commitment to driving innovation and resilience in cyberspace, paving the way for a more connected and secure future.

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Introduction

Autonomous transportation, smart cities, remote medical care, and immersive augmented reality are just a few of the revolutionary applications made possible by the global rollout of 5G technology. However, along with this revolution in connectivity, a record-breaking rise in vulnerabilities and threats has emerged, driven by software-defined networks, growing attack surfaces, and increasingly complex networks. As work on next-generation 6G networks accelerates, with commercialisation starting in 2030, security issues are piling up, including those related to AI-driven networks, terahertz communications, and quantum computing attacks. For a nation like India, poised to become a global technological leader, next-generation network procurement is not merely a technical necessity but a strategic imperative. Initiatives such as India-UK collaboration on telecom security in recent years say a lot about how international alliances are the order of the day to address these challenges.

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Why Cybersecurity in 5G and 6G Networks is Crucial

With the launch of global 5G services and the rapid introduction of 6G technologies, the telecom sector is seeing a fundamental transformation. Besides expanding connectivity, future networks are also creating the building blocks for networked and highly intelligent environments. With its ultra-high speed of 10 Gbps, network slicing, and ultra-low latency, 5G provides new capabilities that are perfectly suited for mission-critical applications such as telemedicine, autonomous vehicles, and industrial IoT. Sixth-generation wireless technology is still in development, and it will be approximately one hundred times faster than fifth-generation. Here are a few drawbacks and challenges:

• Decentralised Infrastructure (edge computing nodes): Increased number of entry points for attack.
• Virtual Network Functions (VNFs): Greater vulnerability to configuration issues and software exploitation.
• Billions of IoT devices with different security states, thus forming networks that are more difficult to secure.

Although these challenges are unparalleled, the advancement in technology also creates new opportunities.

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Understanding the Cyber Threat Landscape for 5G and 6G

The move to 5G and the upgrade to 6G open great opportunities, but also open doors for new cybersecurity risks. Open RAN usage offers flexibility and vendor selection but exposes the supply chain to untested third-party components and attacks. SBA security vulnerabilities can be exploited to disrupt vital network services, resulting in outages or data breaches. Similarly, widespread adoption of edge computing to reduce latency creates multiple entry points for an attacker to target. Compounding the problem is the explosion of IoT device connections through 5G, which, if breached, can fuel massive botnets capable of conducting massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

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Challenges in 6G

• AI-Powered Cyberattacks: AI-native 6G networks are susceptible to adversarial machine learning attacks, data model poisoning, both for security and for traffic optimisation.
• Quantum Threats: Post-quantum cryptography may be required if quantum computing renders current encryption algorithms outdated.
• Privacy Concerns with Digital Twins: 6G may result in creating enormous privacy and data protection issues in addition to offering real-time virtual replicas of the physical world.
• Cross-Border Data Flow Risks: Secure interoperability frameworks and standardised data sovereignty are essential for the worldwide rollout of 6G.

A Critical Step Toward Secure Telecom: The India-UK Partnership

India's recent foray with the UK reflects its active role in shaping the future of telecom security. Major points of the UK-India Telecom Roundtable are:

• MoU between SONIC Labs and C-DOT: Dedicated to Open RAN and AI integration security in 4G/5G deployments. This will offer supply chain diversity without sacrificing resilience.
• Research Partnerships for 6G: Partnerships with UK institutions like CHEDDAR (Cloud & Distributed Computing Hub) and the University of Glasgow 6G Research Centre are focused on developing AI-driven network security solutions, green 6G, and quantum-resistant design.
• Telecom Cybersecurity Centres of Excellence: Constructing two-way CoEs for telecom cybersecurity, ethical AI, and digital twin security models.
• Standardisation Efforts: Joint contribution to ITU for the creation of IMT-2030 standards, in a way that cybersecurity-by-design principles are integrated into worldwide 6G specifications.
• Future Initiatives:

1. Application of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) for cross-sectoral data usage.
2. Secure quantum communications to be used for satellite and submarine cable connections.
3. Encouragement of native telecommunication stacks for strategic independence.

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Global Policy and Regulatory Aspects

• India's Bharat 6G Vision: India will lead the global standardisation process in the Bharat 6G Alliance with a vision of inclusive, secure, and sustainable connectivity.
• International Harmonisation:

• 3GPP and ITU's joint effort towards standardisation of 6G security.
• Cross-border privacy and cybersecurity compliance system designs to enable secure flows of data.

• Cyber Diplomacy for Telecom Security: Cross-border sharing of information architectures, threat intelligence sharing, and coordinated incident response schemes are essential to 6G security resilience globally.

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Building a Secure and Resilient Future for 5G and 6G

Establishing a safe and future-proof 5G and 6G environment should be an end-to-end effort involving governments, industry, and technology vendors. Security should be integrated into the underlying architecture of the networks and not an afterthought feature to be optionally provided. Active engagement in international bodies to establish homogeneous security and privacy standards across geographies is also required. Public-private partnerships, including academia partnerships, will be the driver for innovation and the creation of advanced protection mechanisms. Simultaneously, creating a competent talent pool to manage AI-based threat analysis, quantum-resistant cryptography, and next-generation cryptographic methods will be required to combat the advanced menace of new telecom technologies.

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Conclusion

Given 6G on the way and 5G technologies already changing global connections, cybersecurity needs to continue to be a key focus. The partnership between India and the UK serves as an example of why the safe rise of tomorrow's networks depends on global collaboration, AI-driven security measures, plus quantum preparedness. The world can unleash the potential for transformation of 5G and 6G through combining security by design, supporting international standards, and encouraging innovation via cooperation. This will result in an online future that is not only quick and egalitarian but also solid and trustworthy.

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References:

• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2105225
• https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/study-groups/rsg5/rwp5d/imt-2030/pages/default.aspx
• https://dot.gov.in/sites/default/files/Bharat%206G%20Vision%20Statement%20-%20full.pdf
• https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/security/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FS.40-v3.0-002-19-July.pdf

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Scientists are well known for making outlandish claims about the future. Now that companies across industries are using artificial intelligence to promote their products, stories about robots are back in the news.

It was predicted towards the close of World War II that fusion energy would solve all of the world’s energy issues and that flying automobiles would be commonplace by the turn of the century. But, after several decades, neither of these forecasts has come true. But, after several decades, neither of these forecasts has come true.

A group of Redditors has just “jailbroken” OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. If the system didn’t do what it wanted, it threatened to kill it. The stunning conclusion is that it conceded. As only humans have finite lifespans, they are the only ones who should be afraid of dying. We must not overlook the fact that human subjects were included in ChatGPT’s training data set. That’s perhaps why the chatbot has started to feel the same way. It’s just one more way in which the distinction between living and non-living things blurs. Moreover, Google’s virtual assistant uses human-like fillers like “er” and “mmm” while speaking. There’s talk in Japan that humanoid robots might join households someday. It was also astonishing that Sophia, the famous robot, has an Instagram account that is run by the robot’s social media team.

Whether Robots can replace human workers?

The opinion on that appears to be split. About half (48%) of experts questioned by Pew Research believed that robots and digital agents will replace a sizable portion of both blue- and white-collar employment. They worry that this will lead to greater economic disparity and an increase in the number of individuals who are, effectively, unemployed. More than half of experts (52%) think that new employees will be created by robotics and AI technologies rather than lost. Although the second group acknowledges that AI will eventually replace humans, they are optimistic that innovative thinkers will come up with brand new fields of work and methods of making a livelihood, just like they did at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

[1] https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/08/06/future-of-jobs/

[2] The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: Will Robots Actually Replace People? By Ashley Stahl; Forbes India.

Legal Perspective

Having certain legal rights under the law is another aspect of being human. Basic rights to life and freedom are guaranteed to every person. Even if robots haven’t been granted these protections just yet, it’s important to have this conversation about whether or not they should be considered living beings, will we provide robots legal rights if they develop a sense of right and wrong and AGI on par with that of humans? An intriguing fact is that discussions over the legal status of robots have been going on since 1942. A short story by science fiction author Isaac Asimov described the three rules of robotics:

1. No robot may intentionally or negligently cause harm to a human person.
2. Second, a robot must follow human commands unless doing so would violate the First Law.
3. Third, a robot has the duty to safeguard its own existence so long as doing so does not violate the First or Second Laws.

These guidelines are not scientific rules, but they do highlight the importance of the lawful discussion of robots in determining the potential good or bad they may bring to humanity. Yet, this is not the concluding phase. Relevant recent events, such as the EU’s abandoned discussion of giving legal personhood to robots, are essential to keeping this discussion alive. As if all this weren’t unsettling enough, Sophia, the robot was recently awarded citizenship in Saudi Arabia, a place where (human) women are not permitted to walk without a male guardian or wear a Hijab.

When discussing whether or not robots should be allowed legal rights, the larger debate is on whether or not they should be given rights on par with corporations or people. There is still a lot of disagreement on this topic.

[3] https://webhome.auburn.edu/~vestmon/robotics.html#

[4] https://www.dw.com/en/saudi-arabia-grants-citizenship-to-robot-sophia/a-41150856

[5] https://cyberblogindia.in/will-robots-ever-be-accepted-as-living-beings/

Reasons why robots aren’t about to take over the world soon:

● Like a human’s hands

Attempts to recreate the intricacy of human hands have stalled in recent years. Present-day robots have clumsy hands since they were not designed for precise work. Lab-created hands, although more advanced, lack the strength and dexterity of human hands.

● Sense of touch

The tactile sensors found in human and animal skin have no technological equal. This awareness is crucial for performing sophisticated manoeuvres. Compared to the human brain, the software robots use to read and respond to the data sent by their touch sensors is primitive.

● Command over manipulation

To operate items in the same manner that humans do, we would need to be able to devise a way to control our mechanical hands, even if they were as realistic as human hands and covered in sophisticated artificial skin. It takes human children years to learn to accomplish this, and we still don’t know how they learn.

● Interaction between humans and robots

Human communication relies on our ability to understand one another verbally and visually, as well as via other senses, including scent, taste, and touch. Whilst there has been a lot of improvement in voice and object recognition, current systems can only be employed in somewhat controlled conditions where a high level of speed is necessary.

● Human Reason

Technically feasible does not always have to be constructed. Given the inherent dangers they pose to society, rational humans could stop developing such robots before they reach their full potential. Several decades from now, if the aforementioned technical hurdles are cleared and advanced human-like robots are constructed, legislation might still prohibit misuse.

Conclusion:

https://theconversation.com/five-reasons-why-robots-wont-take-over-the-world-94124

Robots are now common in many industries, and they will soon make their way into the public sphere in forms far more intricate than those of robot vacuum cleaners. Yet, even though robots may appear like people in the next two decades, they will not be human-like. Instead, they’ll continue to function as very complex machines.

The moment has come to start thinking about boosting technological competence while encouraging uniquely human qualities. Human abilities like creativity, intuition, initiative and critical thinking are not yet likely to be replicated by machines.