*ISLAMABAD – Internet services could crash globally in next 24 hours due tomaintenance work.*
According to reports by TechWorm and The Quint, the main domain servers andrelated infrastructure will be temporarily powered down by the InternetCorporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), located in Los Angeles,over the next 24 hours.
The reason is that they need to change the cryptographic key that protectsthe Domain Name System (DNS) – which is what translates a domain name intoan IP address so a computer can read it. DNS is the ‘address book’ of theinternet and it’s the job of ICANN to make sure it’s kept as secure aspossible.
[image: Internet crash worldwide]link
Meanwhile, the hierarchical system this digital information courses throughis known as the root zone, which is serviced by several hundred servers inover 130 locations across the world.
So, theoretically, it’s unlikely that people will see their internet dropout as there is always another server willing to pick up the slack if oneis temporarily turned off, reports a UK-based website.
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[image: Internet crash worldwide]link
It’s also up to each country’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to makesure they’re prepared for a little bit of traffic juggling. ‘This is animportant move and we have an obligation to ensure that it happens infurtherance of ICANN‘s mission, which is to ensure a secure, stable andresilient DNS’ said ICANN Board Chair Cherine Chalaby.
‘There is no way of completely assuring that every network operator willhave their ‘resolvers’ properly configured, yet if things go asanticipated, we expect the vast majority to have access to the root zone,’he said.
