On February 13, 2019, the Duma (lower Chamber of the Russian Parliament)
has begun to study a draft legislation with the aim to create a “sovereign
Internet” in Russia, meaning an ability to function in total independence if
Russia was cut from the major global servers. To achieve this, it will be
necessary to create an “infrastructure allowing to ensure the functioning of
the Russian Internet resources in case of the impossibility for the Russian
operators to connect to the foreign sources Internet servers”.

The Internet providers will have to implement systems allowing a
“centralized control of the traffic” on their networks.

The measures proposed would allow the Russian Internet (RuNet) to ensure
that the Russian part of the Internet functions efficiently. In other words,
the test will allow Russia to ensure that its domestic networks can operate in
full autonomy.

A response to the penalty threats? 

If Russia talks about an assurance for a maintained
local availability, particularly in case of a large-scale cyberattack, this
draft legislation is also and clearly presented as a response to the
“aggressive nature of the new American cybersecurity strategy adopted in
September 2018” [mentioning Russia as a threat]. Indeed, Russia is the object
of many accusations regarding cyberattacks and cyber espionage (disruptions of
the American presidential elections in 2016 -exhortation of Stuart Peach, Chief
of the UK Defence staff in NATO, to take measures against Russia in December
2017, after the Russian submarines were detected near the Atlantic submarine
cables, which carry the communications between Europe and the USA – in January
2018, the Minister of UK Defence, Gavin Williamson, also accuses Russia of
spying the critical infrastructure of his country with the aim to create a “total
chaos” which could “result in thousands and thousands of deaths”, etc). NATO
and its allies have then threatened to punish Russia for these cyberattacks.

It’s in this context that Russia is planning a
full-scale test of disconnection of the global Internet network.

A full-scale test

For several years, this test has been prepared
by Russian authorities, who planned a DNS local backup (tested in 2014 and in
2018).

Indeed, the law plans the creation of Russia’s
internal DNS system, which would ensure the link between web address and IP
address of the corresponding web servers, without resting on the root servers
of the global Internet.

Validated by president Poutine, the draft
legislation has all its chances to be quickly adopted despite the reluctance of
some branches of the government because of the potential expenses entailed. On
the Russian Internet providers’ side, they seem to agree with the draft
legislation, as mentioned in the Russian press, but to this date, they do not
validate its technical implementation, which could create important
disturbances and other traffic disruptions in Russia.

Of course, it is easy to see that this
experience will simultaneously test the Internet providers‘ ability to direct
data towards routing points controlled by the Russian government, since a
filter would be implemented to stop the flow of data towards foreign servers.

Would Russia move towards a system of traffic
filtering, beyond ensuring a national intranet that maintains an operational
connection inside the borders even in case of a massive cyberattack? It is reminiscent
of the significant Chinese firewall (Internet monitoring and censorship project
managed by the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China,
initiated in 1998 and of which activities began in November 2003).

The Russian test could happen on the 1st of
April 2019. To be
continued.

First published at nameshield blog