DNSSEC chain validation issue for .nz domains: updates

Update 1 June 2023

As of 10:45 pm NZST 31 May 2023, we are confident that Internet users can access websites and applications which use .nz domains. 

As of 6:30pm 1 June we have returned to normal operational mode. You can stay informed about technical updates regarding the ongoing monitoring on the InternetNZ System Status Page.

For background on this issue, see our news update from 30 May 2023: DNSSEC chain validation issue for .nz domains.

Update 12 June 2023

Based on the evidence we have so far, the majority of affected users were experiencing issues for approximately 13 hours between 10:45pm on 29 May to 11.45am on 30 May. Based on the information we have to date, our best estimation is the incident affected an average of less than 2% of users throughout this duration, peaking at approximately midnight.

Once we have a clear picture of the issue we will be able to release some detailed information of the technical issues that were at play. 

Update 26 June 2023

Following the DNSSEC chain validation issue for .nz domains on 29-31 May 2023, InternetNZ has published a technical incident report. 

In the report, we identified the cause of the issue.The report also considers other contributing factors and describes the scale and timing of the incident, as well as our learnings and next steps. 

In addition to the internal review, InternetNZ Council is also commissioning an independent review to examine the events leading up to the incident, our response, and to make recommendations to prevent similar failures in the future. The resulting report will be published. 

Please reach out to registry@internetnz.net.nz of you have any questions regarding the technical incident report. 

Update 13 July 2023

InternetNZ published Terms of Reference for the independent review of the incident and agreed on the timeline for the review: the report should be focused and concise and received by the Council and InternetNZ CE in August 2023.