Revised icode applied to mobiles

Australia’s Internet Industry Association intends to apply its botnet fighting icode to internet subscribers connecting via mobile devices.

In doing so, ISPs will be asked to cut off or limit internet access to tablets and smartphones infected with malware, rather than just PCs.

The icode, released in December 2010, is an agreement struck between the IIA and the majority of (30+) Australia’s internet service providers.

It aims to harmonise a national approach to dealing with customers that – usually through lax security practices – allow their computers to become nodes in malware-spreading botnets.

Designed as a form of self-regulation, the code has since been reviewed and adopted in a number of overseas jurisdictions. The Federal Government spent the last 18 months reviewing whether to mandate the code but recently decided to leave it voluntary.

The original 2010 icode focused only on ‘computers’, but a marked up draft [pdf] of the new code suggests this definition be widened to include all digital ‘devices’.

Further, the revised code recommends ISPs reduce phishing fraud by implementing DMARC “to standardise email authentication using SPF and DKIM mechanisms.”

DMARC, or “domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance" is a standard format for authentication of an email based on the domain from which it was sent. It has been adopted by webmail giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo among others in the fight against phishing attacks and spam.

Besides these two changes, the revised icode remains much the same as its 2010 predecessor.

The internet industry has been asked to provide feedback on these changes by June 20.