Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

A Major Milestone for Internet Security

Posted by Andrew McLaughlin on July 22, 2010 at 2:03 PM EDT

Last week marked a significant advance in the security of the Internet. After years of intensive design, testing, and implementation work, the Internet's domain name system now has a new security upgrade that allows Internet service providers and end users alike to protect against an important online vulnerability: the clandestine redirecting of online communications to unwanted destinations.

The Internet’s domain name system (DNS) functions like a phone book, translating easy-to-remember domain names such as www.whitehouse.gov into numerical addresses, such as 92.122.212.144, that identify each server connected to the Internet. The new upgrade is a set of standards known collectively as the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) protocol, and it helps ensure that when computers want to communicate with one another they don’t get tricked into talking to digital imposters instead.

What does this mean for you as you use the Internet at home or at work? Importantly, the look and feel of the Internet and the ways you use it will not change. You'll still type URLs, click links, and send emails exactly as before. What will change is the reliability of your Internet interactions. Sticking with the phone book analogy, your computer will be able to determine automatically when you're being given the true phone number for your bank, and when you're being given a false number intended to trick you into giving your account information to criminals.

For the nerdier among you, here's a more technical explanation of what happened, and why it matters:

As users access Web pages or send emails, they depend on the DNS to accurately convert each website URL or email address (names with dots) into a routable Internet Protocol address (numbers with dots). For years, however, there have been concerns about DNS vulnerabilities that permit spoofing and "man-in-the-middle" attacks. For example, bad actors can use a technique known as DNS cache poisoning to reroute traffic from legitimate websites and email servers to IP addresses that they control, all without the users knowing that they had been redirected to a malicious site. Though the DNS community has managed, for the most part, to stay ahead of these techniques, they have continued to be a serious concern.

DNSSEC ensures that the IP addresses generated by the DNS have not been intercepted or spoofed. Using public-key cryptography to digitally sign each IP address sent out by the DNS at each stage of the hierarchical name-to-number resolution process, DNSSEC allows Internet-connected systems to verify that the responses are authoritative and have not been altered.

Last Thursday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) published the “root zone trust anchor” for DNSSEC and VeriSign distributed a DNSSEC- signed root zone file. The trust anchor provides a pre-configured public key that allows the thirteen root nameservers to verify each others’ digital signatures and exchange valid certificates, enabling them to identify each other securely. The signed root zone file creates an authentication and verification capability right from the top of the DNS hierarchy.

The release of the root zone trust anchor, distribution of a signed root, and subsequent deployment of DNSSEC across the global Internet together comprise the strongest defense so far against known vulnerabilities like DNS cache poisoning. There is still a lot more to do to achieve global implementation of DNSSEC and to secure the Internet's core infrastructures and practices against other known vulnerabilities. But last week's developments represent a notable step forward.

Huge thanks are owed to the members of the Internet technical community who made DNSSEC possible. Special recognition goes to those who led the development of the Internet Engineering Task Force's suite of DNSSEC specifications, and to the teams at the Department of Commerce, ICANN, and VeriSign that executed last week's successful trust anchor and signed root zone deployment.

Their hard work has created an Internet security upgrade that is important not only for its practical, day-to-day value in blocking a class of online threats, but also for demonstrating that the cooperative, private-sector-led, standards-based model of Internet architecture remains vital and effective.

Andrew McLaughlin is Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy

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U.S., China Science and Tech Leaders Convene on Innovation

Posted by Rick Weiss on July 20, 2010 at 7:02 PM EDT

OSTP Director John P. Holdren today led a meeting with government leaders from the United States and the People’s Republic of China—including Mr. Wan Gang, China’s Minister of Science and Technology—to discuss a range of issues relating to the advancement of innovation. The meeting, held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, marked the launch of an “innovation dialogue” as agreed to at the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue that took place in Beijing in May. It also set the stage for future high- and expert-level discussions on innovation policies.

Dr. Holdren was joined by Robert Hormats, Under Secretary of State; Demetrios Marantis, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative; Marisa Lago, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Treasury, Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary of State; Steve Jacobs, Acting Assistant Secretary at the Department of Commerce; and representatives of U.S. science agencies.

Minister Wan was joined by Ministry of Science and Technology officials and the Washington-based representatives of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, and the Embassy.

OSTP Director John P. Holdren leads a meeting with government leaders from the United States and the People’s Republic of China to discuss a range of issues relating to the advancement of innovation.

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National Mall Opens to Stargazers

Posted by Phil Larson on July 20, 2010 at 3:12 PM EDT

Last Thursday, OSTP and Hofstra University co-sponsored a star party on Washington’s National Mall, giving evening strollers a chance to look through telescopes at the setting sun and, a little later, at an array of planets and more distant stars. The skies cleared just before sunset, giving observers a chance to see a few sun spots on our solar system’s lone star through specially filtered telescopes. And as darkness fell, a perfect stage was revealed for stargazing in the nation’s capital.

The crescent Moon shone brightly for most of the night, affording viewers a fantastic glimpse of the cavernous craters along the terminator, the dividing line between illumination and darkness. The best time to gaze at the Moon through a telescope is when it is in a phase that is less than full, when the shadows along the terminator reveal in greatest detail the depression of craters. Venus was the first planet to make an appearance, and onlookers were able to observe for themselves that Venus also goes through phases.

But the evening’s most exciting event—other than the use of a myriad of scopes to spy on people atop the Washington Monument—was the appearance of Saturn and its rings. As beautiful as close-up photographs of Saturn are, there is nothing like seeing this planetary wonder with your own eyes, live.

Some people came to our gathering on purpose, having heard about it on the Web or by word of mouth; some just happened to be on the Mall that night and stopped by. What mattered, though, was that the event introduced hundreds of people to the wonders of stargazing. Special thanks go to Dr. Donald Lubowich, Director of Astronomy Outreach at Hofstra University, who, with support from NASA, has been leading such events in a number of other cities. Along with other educational materials, he handed out over 600 astronomy bookmarks to members of the public in roughly four hours! And thanks to the National Capital Astronomers and the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club for their help in setting up their telescopes for the public to use.

Here are a few pictures from the evening:

July 20, 2010.

July 20, 2010.

Astronomy Night on the National Mall (Photos by Erin Szulman)

Includes Photo Gallery

read the rest

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The Power of Technology, The Power of Equality

Posted by Kareem Dale and Scott Deutchman on July 20, 2010 at 10:42 AM EDT

Twenty years ago, a simple, standardized way to link together pages of text via the Internet was invented, and the World Wide Web was born. Perhaps equally amazing as this innovation are all of the commercial communications advances that were either nascent or not even invented then—email, Smartphones, GPS, and the rechargeable batteries that power laptops, cell phones, and cameras to name a few. For as powerful as these inventions were in changing the lives of so many Americans, we recognize that technology has the power not just to entertain but to enhance our work-life experience and connect us to our families and communities.

This is particularly true for the approximately 54 million Americans with disabilities. In fact, technology has the ability to enable Americans with disabilities to participate fully both in their personal and professional lives. Imagine a person who is deaf video chatting with loved ones using sign language where a decade ago interpreter-assisted phone service was the only option. Or consider that the blind can navigate their Smartphones and computers on par with their colleagues and friends. In recognition of the powerful role that technology plays in all of our lives, the White House on Monday continued its celebration of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act with a Technology Showcase, in partnership with the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce.

Yesterday's events began with a morning session at the White House, where participants from across the country heard from a wide range of Administration officials. U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra described how the White House is working with entrepreneurs, innovators, and technologists to find new ways for people with disabilities to access information, communicate easily, and enable Americans to live more independently through mainstream and assistive technology.

Also yesterday, Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra and the Office of Management and Budget’s Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy Dan Gordon issued a memorandum reinforcing accountability and responsibility measures that all Federal agencies must comply with to make government websites and other technology accessible as required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The Commerce Department announced a nearly $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant to expand broadband adoption among people who are deaf and hard of hearing and provide them with tools to more fully participate in the digital economy.

Monday afternoon the celebration moved to the Commerce Department where nearly 40 companies, organizations and agencies demonstrated the power of technology to level the playing field for Americans with disabilities. The afternoon program included remarks by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, several outstanding performances by deaf actors and dancers, and inspiring video testimonials by advocates with disabilities on the life-changing impact that technology has had for persons without their hearing or sight. Two dozen technologists and disability advocates then convened to "brainstorm." It seems like a simple idea but the truth is that the two groups don't always speak the same language. Our hope was that in 90 minutes we could come up with a couple of real-world problems that an Internet-based application or service could potentially solve—or at least make better. For example, could crowdsourcing on the Web help plot the accessibility of local sidewalks or building entrances so at the click of a mouse or tap of a Smartphone a person could know which entrance to a building he or she was headed to was easiest to enter? There were many good ideas discussed and it marked the beginning of a conversation we believe will ultimately bear fruit as the creative juices continue to flow.

In much the same way as the World Wide Web connected our spirit, ideas, and ingenuity, we need to ensure that the rapid pace of technological change continues to expand the horizons of individuals with disabilities as it has for others, no matter who they are or where they live.

Although yesterday’s events marked an anniversary, the future must hold the same promise that the ADA represented in 1990 and now in 2010—the ongoing commitment that Americans with disabilities can utilize advances in technology to enhance their lives and work.

Kareem Dale is Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy
Scott Deutchman is the U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Telecommunications
Final Recommendations of the Ocean Policy Task Force Announced

Posted by Phil Larson on July 19, 2010 at 2:23 PM EDT

Obama Administration officials today released the Final Recommendations of the Ocean Policy Task Force, which would establish a National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Coasts, and Great Lakes (National Policy) and create a National Ocean Council (NOC) to strengthen ocean governance and coordination. The Final Recommendations prioritize actions for the NOC to pursue, and call for a flexible framework for coastal and marine spatial planning to address conservation, economic activity, user conflict, and sustainable use of the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes.

Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, lauded the policy as a significant step towards securing the sustained well-being of America’s waters and coastal regions.

“A National Ocean Policy reflects and affirms the invaluable role that science plays in the stewardship of these cherished resources,” said Dr. Holdren. “The work of the National Ocean Council will ensure that future generations of Americans are able to reap the immeasurable and undeniable benefits of healthy ocean, coastal, and Great Lake ecosystems.”

Head over to the Council on Environmental Quality to see the full press release.

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The NNI Strategy Portal – A Pathway to New Ideas for Nanotechnology Innovation

Posted by Aneesh Chopra on July 15, 2010 at 3:45 PM EDT

OSTP announced the NNI Strategy Portal this week at the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s Strategic Planning Stakeholder Workshop. The online event taking place July 13 – August 15 at the NNI Strategy Portal is another example of the Administration’s commitment to transparency, citizen participation, and collaboration. Your engagement will help the Federal government in the development of the 2010 Strategic Plan for the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which is an important tool to outline the priorities of the initiative and identify how the NNI can achieve the vision of a “future in which the ability to understand and control matter at the nanoscale leads to a revolution in technology and industry that benefits society.”

President Obama’s Strategy for American Innovation highlights the promise of nanotechnology to transform multiple industries: capturing and storing clean energy, developing next-generation computer chips, early detection of diseases, smart anti-cancer therapeutics that deliver drugs only to tumor cells, and enabling all-new approaches to a wide range of manufacturing activities, among many other examples. While the commercial impact of nanotechnology to date has been limited primarily to nanomaterials applied to a range of consumer goods from healthcare to textiles, automotive composites and industrial coatings, nanotechnology innovation is poised to accelerate dramatically. Among the most compelling recent examples are solar cells leveraging nanotechnology to increase efficiency and reduce costs and bullet-proof, flexible carbon nanotube-based armor.

The ten-year history of U.S. leadership in fundamental nanotechnology research and development under the NNI has laid the crucial groundwork for developing commercial applications and scaling up production, creating demand for many new nanotechnology and manufacturing jobs in the near-term.

Furthermore, our investments in nanotechnology research and development have also positioned us to address key national priorities, spur the formation of multidisciplinary teams of researcher and multi-sector collaborators, bring new expertise to bear on important problems, strengthen the “social contract” between science and society, and inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Please take the time to register and join the community at strategy.nano.gov so you can post your responses to the NNI questions and comment on others’ ideas. I am hopeful that when we tap into the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the American people, we will strengthen our democracy and help improve the lives of everyday Americans. Thanks for participating.

Aneesh Chopra is U.S. Chief Technology Officer

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