Heard of The Internet Shutting Down? Here’s Why You Needn’t Worry

Story of global internet connection failure is a hoax. Internet users need not worry as maintenance is ongoing.

Internet maintenance is underway, but you aren’t likely to be affected. 

(Photo: The Quint)

A report released by Russia Today claimed that Internet users across the globe may experience connection failures in the next 48 hours. Well, turns out it’s not as serious as many Indian publications are claiming it to be.

In a statement to The Indian Express, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has said that “the Root Key Signing Key (KSK) Rollover which is underway now will have minimum impact across the world.”

In fact, 99 percent of the internet users in the world won’t face any problems.

According to ICANN, the change in cryptographic keys has already been underway for well over a day and hasn’t had any significant impact on internet services as of now.

The report by Russia Today cited the reason behind the shut down to be “maintenance work” by changing the cryptographic key. That process helps protect the internet’s address book or the Domain Name System (DNS).

In a statement, the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) said the global internet shutdown is necessary for ensuring a secure, stable and resilient DNS. “To further clarify, some internet users might be affected if their network operators or Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have not prepared for this change. However, this impact can be avoided by enabling the appropriate system security extensions,” it added.

It’s a classic case of making a mountain out of a molehill as certain publications took to posting exaggerated headlines in reference to Russia Today’s report that created a lot of buzz on the internet.

Many reported that the internet around the world will “crash in the next 48 hours”.

“The headline is a click bait,” an Icann.org spokesperson in Singapore said in a written reply to indianexpress.com.