ICANN has today released a factsheet concerning the recent attack on the root server system on 6 February 2007. The factsheet is intended to provide an explanation of the attack for a non-technical audience in the hope of enlarging public understanding surrounding this and related issues, and to reassure readers that the servers are safeguarded against such attacks.

The factsheet also briefly reviews the root server system, the Domain Name system, Anycast technology, and what can be done in order to deal with such attacks in future.

The factsheet is likely to be the first in a series, with future factsheets following a similar approach of providing clear and topical non-technical information about various aspects of the Internet with which ICANN is involved.