Directorates:

Information System Security Directorate:

Information System Security Directorate (ISSD) was established in 2009 in the framework of the IT Department. Cyber Security is one of the most important elements of a comprehensive strategy for securing a nation. The establishment of Information System Security Directorate will ensure information systems security: a body which will actively work out and coordinate security strategies and measures for critical information infrastructures in the country in order to make sure that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information system within the government all in place.

VISION

To establish and achieve a Safe - Secure and Resilient cyberspace for the government, businesses, and citizens of Afghanistan.

MISSION

To protect and assure data, information, and IT infrastructure security in Afghanistan’s cyberspace, enhance capacities to prevent and respond to cyber threats, protect the children and youth of Afghanistan in cyberspace, mitigate the risk of vulnerability, damage from cyber threats and incidents through a variety of standardized institutional structures, policies, procedures, people, technologies and administrative process.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Information Systems Security Department

Ensuring the security of Afghanistan's information-cyber systems

Distribution of .af domains

Distribution (Digital & SSL Certificate) is in fact the backbone of a country's information security.

To develop laws, strategies, procedures, and policies for different areas of cyber affairs.

Investigating cybercrime as well as resolving cyber and electronic cases in public and private circles.

Launching training (at all government departments) to increase the capacity of government department employees from cyber threats.

Cyber awareness (information) of threats and emergence of new viruses in the cyberspace of Afghanistan.

Creating an internal gateway for Internet traffic, by the (NIXA) project and also connecting all Internet service companies with the mentioned system.

Nationwide Distribution of (IP) by (NIXA) Project.

AFCERT:

AFCERT’s proposal on preparing a draft of Cyber Security Strategy for the country was accepted by the MCIT and ICT Council and to this end, the MCIT and ICT Council established a committee.

Cyber Crime

Afghanistan's Cyber Emergency Response team is the first responder for any cyber incident happening throughout Afghanistan, we are committed to providing safe - secure, and resilient cyberspace for Afghanistan. The fight against cybercrime is complicated by wide differences in the type of attack, the extent of damage caused, and the motives involved.

These motives can vary from the pursuit of economic gain to mere curiosity or hooliganism. In recent years, the efforts of cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, as these have acquired substantial resources, improved their organizational structures, and implemented a clear division of labor between disparate criminal networks. Attacks via the Internet have become systematic and may often be aimed at specific high-value yet vulnerable targets.

Moreover, the state of malware for cybercrime has become increasingly more sophisticated and the activities of criminal groups that organize cyber attacks are continuously expanding in scope. Other forms of cybercrime include harassment, fraud, the distribution of illegal materials, or the violation of intellectual property rights.

AfgNIC

The Afghanistan Network Information Center is a department under Information Systems Security Directorate, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. AFGNIC also performs activities for the public, such as oversee the administration of IP address assignment /Registration in Afghanistan through coordination with the National Internet Registry of Afghanistan (NIRA)

AFGNIC plays a vital role in the development of Internet infrastructure in Afghanistan by conducting workshops/seminars in different parts of the country with the help of National and International experts in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

AFGNIC actively operates a service in which Internet users in Afghanistan can easily participate by making it possible for individuals/organizations with preferences in Afghanistan to register domain names. For the benefit of the Internet in Afghanistan, AFGNIC also ensures the proper management and activities of the following internet infrastructure-related bodies. AfgNIC’s main areas of activity are:

.AF Domain

Afghanistan’s name in Cyber Space or the Internet is .AF (Dot AF), which is the Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Network Information Center (AFGNIC) was incorporated on 1st January 2003, to carry out .AF ccTLD domain name registration and management, and to undertake the operation of the domain name system. AFGNIC manages and administers .AF Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) in a fair and neutral manner.

Registration Form

Please download and fill the following form and send it back to registry@nic.af

Registration Form

Pricing

.AF Domain Name registration Fee Structure

 

Instruction To Fill The Registration Form For .af

1:Domain Name

The domain name that you wish to apply under .af. Then select the appropriate domain name option (New, Modify, Delete). Ensure that the domain name entered is valid as describe in .af policy document.

The registrants also have the choice to register second-level domains (SLDs) under .af domain e.g myname.af.

2:Examples of domain names

3:Who can apply for which domain names?

• .gov.af for government agencies
• .com.af for commercial entities
• .org.af for non commercial organizations
• .net.af for network providers
• .edu.af for educational institutions

4:Organization Details

Enter the name, trademark (if the domain is derived from a trademark), description, office address of the organization/entity, which is requesting for the domain, and the organization's email address.

5:Registrant

A company, organization, or individual for whom a name has been registered as a domain name in the ccTLD domain name registration.

Registry

The entity which records names as domain names in a register of domain names for the country-code top-level domain name, according to policies and rules, and following procedures, established with the Local Internet Community.

6:Administrative Contact Details

The administrative contact is the person who will make social and political decisions about the zone, arbitrate disputes, and delegate technical authority to the technical contact. The administrative contact must be from the organization actually using the domain name.

7:Financial Contact Details

Enter the details of the person who will act as the contact point for the payment-related issues pertaining to the domain. Payment notifications will be sent by e-mail to the billing contact. After allotment of a domain name, the Internet Domain Name Registration Certificate and the money receipt will be sent to the billing contact. Notices and reminders regarding payment will be sent to the billing contact. He need not necessarily be a person from the organization, which is the holder of the domain name.

8:Technical Contact Details

The technical contact should be the programmer who is editing the zone on the primary server. The tech contact should be very familiar with the Domain Name System (DNS).

9:Name Server Details

It is necessary to run domain name servers (DNS servers) for the domain being registered and delegated. These servers provide the service for translating domain names to IP addresses for hosts in the domain. These name servers may belong to either the organization or the Internet Service Provider. The ISP can be located in ANY PART of the world.

The name servers can be located in ANY PART of the world. It is recommended that there are at least two independent name servers (primary and secondary name servers).

It is mandatory to run at least the primary name server for the domain. The name servers must be up, permanently connected to the Internet, and configured correctly to respond to DNS requests for the domain, before the application is submitted. Establishing the primary and secondary name servers in physically separate locations and on different networks is strongly recommended.

10:Primary Name Server

Enter the complete hostname and the corresponding IP address of the primary name server. (eg Hostname: myserver.mydomain.com.af corresponding IP address: 213.213.123.123) It is necessary to run the primary name server for the domain. Please check that the hostname of the name server is spelled correctly. The IP addresses correspond correctly with the hostnames of the name server.

11:Secondary Name Server

Enter the complete hostname and the corresponding IP address of the secondary name server(s). (eg Hostname: n2.mydomain.com.af corresponding IP address: 213.123.213.123) It is not compulsory to run the secondary name server(s) for the domain. Please check that the hostname of the name server is spelled correctly. The IP addresses correspond correctly with the hostnames of the name server.

12:Mode of Payment

The fee for the domain name registration can be deposited in the following accounts:

Local Registrants Fee Payment

AFGNIC Office

1st floor

Ministry of Communication and IT

Kabul, Afghanistan

Phone: +93 20 210 26 84

URL: www.nic.af

International Registrants Fee Payment

Bank of New York

SWIFT: IRVTUS3N

A/C NO: 8900319011

Favor: Crown Agents Financial Services Limited,

Ref: Ministry of Communication 34595

Public Key Infrastructure

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) refers to the technical mechanisms, procedures, and policies that collectively provide a framework for addressing the previously illustrated fundamentals of security - authentication, confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiation, and access control. PKI enables people and businesses to utilize a number of secure Internet applications. For example, secure and legally binding emails and Internet-based transactions, and service delivery can all be achieved through the use of PKI.

PKI utilizes two core elements; Public Key Cryptography and Certification Authorities.

Elements of PKI

A typical PKI consists of hardware, software, policies, and standards to manage the creation, administration, distribution, and revocation of keys and digital certificates. Digital certificates are at the heart of PKI as they affirm the identity of the certificate subject and bind that identity to the public key contained in the certificate.

A typical PKI includes the following key elements:

• A trusted party, called a certificate authority (CA), acts as the root of trust and provides services that authenticate the identity of individuals, computers, and other entities.
• A registration authority often called a subordinate CA, certified by a root CA to issue certificates for specific uses permitted by the root.
• A certificate database, which stores certificate requests and issues and revokes certificates.

Cryptography

Cryptography is a method of storing and transmitting data in a particular form so that only those for whom it is intended can read and process it. The information system security directorate has the goal to establish a cryptography team that could invent different algorithms for sensitive data for Afghanistan.

Cryptography is closely related to the disciplines of cryptology and cryptanalysis. Cryptography includes techniques such as microdots, merging words with images, and other ways to hide information in storage or transit. However, in today's computer-centric world, cryptography is most often associated with scrambling plaintext (ordinary text, sometimes referred to as cleartext) into ciphertext (a process called encryption), then back again (known as decryption). Individuals who practice this field are known as cryptographers.

Modern cryptography concerns itself with the following four objectives:

1) Confidentiality (the information cannot be understood by anyone for whom it was unintended)

2) Integrity (the information cannot be altered in storage or transit between sender and intended receiver without the alteration being detected)

3) Non-repudiation (the creator/sender of the information cannot deny at a later stage his or her intentions in the creation or transmission of the information)

4) Authentication (the sender and receiver can confirm each other's identity and the origin/destination of the information)

Digital Signature:

A digital signature is a mathematical technique used to validate the authenticity and integrity of a message, software, or digital document.

The digital equivalent of a handwritten signature or stamped seal, but offering far more inherent security, a digital signature is intended to solve the problem of tampering and impersonation in digital communications. Digital signatures can provide the added assurances of evidence to origin, identity, and status of an electronic document, transaction, or message, as well as acknowledging informed consent by the signer.

Certificate Authority(CA)

A certificate authority (CA) is a trusted entity that issues electronic documents that verify a digital entity’s identity on the Internet. Electronic documents, which are called digital certificates, are an essential part of secure communication and play an important part in the public key infrastructure (PKI). Certificates typically include the owner's public key, the expiration date of the certificate, the owner's name, and other information about the public key owner. Operating systems and browsers maintain lists of trusted CA root certificates to verify certificates that a CA has issued and signed.CAs issue Digital Certificates and these certificates are used to protect the information, encrypt billions of transactions, and enable secure communication.

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