Turn It Off Sometime before April, the Russian government plans to briefly disconnect the entire country from the internet. The brief shutdown is part of an ongoing effort to bolster Russia’s cybersecurity against foreign attacks that would cut it off from the rest of the world, according to ZDNet — and it’s a sobering reminder that in a fractious era for international relations, a global internet isn’t a guarantee. Turn It On Again The push for the big experimental shutdown comes from proposed updates to Russian telecom laws. The Russian government announced in 2017 that it would handle up to 95 percent of all internet traffic locally — that is, independent from the rest of the world — by 2020. The upcoming shutdown will test just how resilient those local networks are and how much internet traffic can slip through the cracks. A new law will also direct Russian internet providers to direct all traffic through government-approved servers to further enforce content bans, according to ZDNet. Advertisement Advertisement Building Barriers The law has the full backing of President Putin and may be partially inspired by the Great Firewall of China, the colloquial name for the country’s censored internet. So if the internet stays up and running, Russia is taking steps to make sure it’s filtering out forbidden content. And if Russia gets cut off, well, they’ll still be able to log on to their local internet and surf away, just so long as they don’t try to look at porn. READ MORE: Russia to disconnect from the internet as part of a planned test [ZDNet] More on internet censorship: The World of the Future Will Have Two Separate Internets, Former Google CEO Predicts Advertisement Advertisement As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent company’s forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. It’s free to join, sign up now!<doc-sep>RUSSIA is shutting off its internet as part of a dramatic test to help it defend against devastating cyber attacks. The experiment is part of preparations for a potential cyber war with the US that could see Donald Trump shut down Russia's internet access. 2 Russia is preparing for a potential international cyber attack Credit: Getty - Contributor Officials will use it to gather information and provide feedback on a proposed law introduced by the state in December 2018, according to Russian news agency RosBiznesKonsalting (RBK). The rule states that state internet providers must be ready to ensure Russia's internet runs smoothly and independently in the event of a foreign attack that disconnects the country from the web. Like many nations, much of Russia's internet access is still routed through so-called "exchange points" in the United States. But under the proposed rules, Russia's telecoms firms would have to install "technical means" to re-route that traffic through national exchange points. 2 Moscow will disconnect Russia's internet access sometime before April Credit: PA:Press Association Roskomnazor, Russia's telecom watchdog, will monitor all traffic flowing through these points to make sure data is not being routed outside of Russia. It will block any traffic needlessly beamed beyond its borders, as this data can be easily intercepted by foreign spies. It's not yet clear what date has been set for the test shut down. It's supposed to take place sometime before April 1, as this is the last day for submitting amendments to the proposed law. The Russian government has been working on the complex cyber defence tactic for several years. TOP STORIES IN TECH BOUNCE BACK Dogecoin founder thanks Elon Musk for tweet as crypto market stages comeback Live Blog LOOK UP Lunar eclipse 2021 LIVE: Blood Moon and total eclipse happening NOW PHENOMENON Lunar eclipse 2021: Why the Super Blood Moon isn't visible in the UK LOST & FOUND New Google Maps feature means you'll NEVER get lost again OPEN WINDOW Microsoft boss reveals NEW 'next-gen' Windows coming six years after Windows 10 BLOOMING Super Flower Moon will fill skies tonight – how to see stunning lunar spectacle In 2017, officials said 95% of all internet traffic will be routed locally by 2020. Nato nations recently said they planned to hit Russia with a stronger response to its own cyber attacks. Moscow has been accused of carrying out dozens of sinister hacks over the past five years, including on US electronic voting systems in 2016. It emerged last week that cyber criminals from Russia and China are targeting the phones and email accounts of MPs with a messaging app scam that lets the attackers send fake messages. Russian and North Korean hackers attack key British websites – including the Ministry of Defence, Bank of England and nuclear bases – every day, according to some experts. Earlier this month, a mega hack leaked 2billion email addresses and passwords online – here's how to check if your details were exposed. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.<doc-sep>Russia is preparing itself to be disconnected from the World Wide Web. The Lower House of Parliament passed in the first reading a law ensuring the security of the Russian part of the internet. The bill envisions the ‘Runet’ – the Russian segment of the internet – being able to operate independently from the rest of the world in case of global malfunctions or deliberate internet disconnection. The measures to ensure internet stability include the creation of a national DNS system that stores all of the domain names and corresponding IP numbers. The new legislation was drafted in response to the new US cyber strategy that accuses Russia, along with China, Iran, and North Korea, of using cyber tools to “undermine” its economy and democracy. It also threatens dire consequences for anyone conducting cyber activity against the US. Also on rt.com Russia will launch ‘alternative internet’ only in worst-case scenario – Foreign Ministry The autonomous system would ensure that Russia doesn’t face a total internet shutdown if relations with the West completely collapse and the US goes as far as cutting off Russian IP addresses from the World Wide Web. Back in 2012, then-US President Barack Obama signed an executive order allowing him to take control of all communications on American soil, including those crucial for the normal operation of the internet. The US National Security Agency actually caused a three-day internet blackout in Syria in November 2012, whistleblower Edward Snowden told Wired magazine. NSA hackers accidently ‘bricked’ one of the core routers while trying to install spyware on it. Like this story? Share it with a friend!<doc-sep>Photo: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images Russia is reportedly planning to cut itself off from the rest of the internet — temporarily. According to ZDNet (working off a report from the Russian news agency RBK Group), the goal is to see how Russia’s internet infrastructure would operate should the country be cut off from the rest of world digitally. The test is related to a draft law introduced last year, known as the Digital Economy National Program. The purpose is to ensure that Russian internet service providers can continue to operate should the country be sanctioned by foreign powers. As it currently stands, the root servers for the domain name system — the system that lets you type in google.com instead of an IP address — are all located outside of Russia, though copies of the DNS exist locally should access be cut off. The draft law also stipulates that domestic traffic should be routed through Russia’s telecoms regulator, Roskomnadzor. Officials want to route 95 percent of all internet traffic locally by 2020, drawing analogies to China’s Great Firewall, an aggressive internet-traffic monitoring program. According to ZDNet, most Russian internet companies are supportive of the regulations, but worry that the preliminary test will cause major disruptions. The test, supposedly slated for some time around April 1, comes as Russia faces a growing international outcry over its efforts to disrupt other political events through coordinate information operations. Social-media companies like Facebook and Google have been investing heavily in trying to weed out deceptive accounts run by so-called “troll farms.”<doc-sep>
Russia is shutting off its internet as part of a dramatic test to help it defend against devastating cyberattacks. The experiment is part of preparations for a potential cyberwar with the US that could see President Donald Trump shut down Russia’s internet access. Officials will use the test to gather information and provide feedback on a proposed law introduced by the state in December 2018, according to Russian news agency RosBiznesKonsalting (RBK). The new law states that state internet providers must be ready to ensure Russia’s internet runs smoothly and independently in the event of a foreign attack that disconnects the country from the web. Like many nations, much of Russia’s internet access is still routed through so-called “exchange points” in the United States. But under the proposed rules, Russia’s telecoms firms would have to install “technical means” to re-route that traffic through national exchange points. Roskomnazor, Russia’s telecom watchdog, will monitor all traffic flowing through these points to make sure data is not being routed outside of Russia. It will block any traffic needlessly beamed beyond its borders, as this data can be easily intercepted by foreign spies. It’s not yet clear what date has been set for the test shut down. It’s supposed to take place sometime before April 1, as this is the last day for submitting amendments to the proposed law. The Russian government has been working on the complex cyber defense tactic for several years. In 2017, officials said 95 percent of all internet traffic will be routed locally by 2020. NATO nations recently said they planned to hit Russia with a stronger response to its own cyberattacks. Moscow has been accused of carrying out dozens of sinister hacks over the past five years, including on US electronic voting systems in 2016. It emerged last week that cybercriminals from Russia and China are targeting the phones and email accounts of British politicians with a messaging app scam that lets the attackers send fake messages.