Although the emphasis in the Guidelines is on Internet infrastructure security, it is difficult to
differentiate these issues from more general Internet or network security issues. Therefore, some
aspects of general network security are also covered in this document or addressed in the annex.6
The Guidelines aim to provide recommendations and promote principles and solutions to ensure
that African Internet infrastructure security meets the requirements of users at large, and that all
stakeholders have clear guidelines for achieving what is expected of them. By ensuring increased
security and resiliency, the recommendations will help increase confidence in, and use of, the
Internet by the African community. While the recommendations do not cover every issue in
Internet infrastructure security, they are an important first step towards a resilient, safe and
secure African Internet infrastructure.
1.1 Methodology
The methodology employed in developing the Guidelines included a literature review, and a
process for gathering input from experts from inside and outside Africa.
The literature review utilized several different sources including recommendations and best
practices published by major Internet-related institutions, organizations, and companies. These
included the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ISOC, the US
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), European Union Agency for Network and
Information Security (ENISA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD).
Valuable input was obtained in an expert panel discussion on Internet infrastructure security
conducted as part of the Africa Internet Summit (AIS) held in Gaborone, Botswana, from 29 May
to 10 June 2016.
Selected professionals in the Internet infrastructure field were also interviewed. Finally, draft
guidelines were presented at an experts’ meeting in Nairobi from 28 to 29 November 2016.
During the meeting, comments were collected from participants to improve the final version of
this document.
6
8
See Annex II: Basic Security Principles
Internet Infrastructure Security Guidelines for Africa
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