Perceptions of IT Decision-Makers on the Use of Domain Name System Security Extension (DNSSEC): Qualitative Exploratory Case Study

Abstract

The Internet is not a safe place. The problem was 55% (26) of 47 Top Level Domains (TLDs) in Central, South America, and the Caribbean have not adopted the Domain Name System Security Extension (DNSSEC) developed to protect their domains and, thus, protect 21 ccTLDs but leave 26 ccTLDs susceptible to malicious hacker attacks. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to understand Central American, South American, and Caribbean TLD IT decision-makers’ perceptions of adopters’ and non-adopters in terms of performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), and facilitating conditions (FC) factors and its influence on the adoption of DNSSEC. Thematic analysis of the data collected resulted in six themes that aligned with the four research questions. The six themes discussed are the following: (1) Implementing DNSSEC help improve ccTLD’s cybersecurity but cost and misconfigurations are a disadvantage, (2) Dedicated personnel with a high-level skillset in security is needed to implement DNSSEC, (3) Social influencers promote DNSSEC implementation in ccTLDs, (4) Lack of a Technical Infrastructure and Trained Personnel are Challenges that Impede DNSSEC Implementation in ccTLDs, (5) Implementing DNSSEC improves the ccTLD’s reputation, and (6) Overcoming financial, technical, promotional, and workload challenges help improve corporate clients’ adoption of DNSSEC. The results of the study emphasized the significance of the factors that impeded the implementation of DNSSEC to ensure a safe Internet ecosystem.