This video, “Can We Stop Quantum Computing Breaking the Internet?”, is presented by Je Sen Teh, a Deakin Lecturer and one of our project members. It explores the urgent question of how quantum computing could threaten internet security and highlights ongoing research at the Deakin Cyber Research and Innovation Centre to develop safeguards for critical cyber infrastructure, supported by the .au Domain Administration (auDA).

Despite underpinning almost every Internet interaction, the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) remains significantly under adopted across the world. DNSSEC was introduced by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to protect the Domain Name System (DNS) — often described as the Internet’s “address book” — from manipulation and tampering. Without DNSSEC, attackers can exploit weaknesses in DNS infrastructure to redirect users to malicious websites, intercept communications, steal credentials, distribute malware, or conduct large-scale phishing and fraud campaigns.

The risks are no longer theoretical. Cybercriminal groups and nation-state actors increasingly exploit DNS vulnerabilities as part of sophisticated cyber operations. Recent incidents involving DNS hijacking and malicious DNS manipulation have enabled scams, malware delivery, espionage, and large-scale service disruption. In 2025 alone, global cybercrime losses were estimated to exceed USD 10.5 trillion, with impacts extending far beyond financial damage to include privacy violations, operational disruption, misinformation, and erosion of public trust in digital systems.

Yet adoption of DNSSEC remains alarmingly low. According to the Internet Society Pulse platform, only around 35% of global DNS queries are currently validated using DNSSEC. While several top-level domains support DNSSEC, meaningful implementation across domains, resolvers, and organisations remains inconsistent. Many websites and Internet service providers still operate without DNSSEC protection, leaving users and services exposed to avoidable cyber risks.

This gap presents a serious challenge for building a trustworthy and resilient Internet. As governments, businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and communities become increasingly dependent on digital services, the security of foundational Internet protocols becomes essential for maintaining trust and ensuring safe digital participation. A lack of DNSSEC adoption leaves users more vulnerable to cyber harms such as fraud, scams, credential theft, malware infections, service outages, privacy breaches, and misinformation.

Understanding why DNSSEC adoption remains low is therefore critical. Technical complexity, limited awareness, operational concerns, compatibility issues, lack of automation, ecosystem coordination challenges, and insufficient policy incentives are often cited as barriers. However, these factors have not been comprehensively studied at a global level. Without a clear understanding of the barriers to adoption, efforts to improve Internet trustworthiness and resilience will remain fragmented.

Accelerating DNSSEC adoption is not simply a technical issue — it is a necessary step toward strengthening the security, integrity, and trustworthiness of the Internet itself.