Boyes Turner advises on deal to improve internet security and prevent spam

Specialist tech law firm Boyes Turner has advised on a deal that will help to improve internet security and prevent spam.

The team from Boyes Turner acted for Spamhaus, an industry-leading, real time cyber-security and spam prevention dataset provider, on its licensing deal with ICANN.

ICANN is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Los Angeles. Its work co-ordinating website addresses has ensured we have one global internet, which is secure and stable. The deal will enhance ICANN’s operational capacity to safeguard the internet and prevent spam.

The Spamhaus Data Feeds have been licensed to ICANN and will allow it to produce abuse reports, security metrics, predictive abuse metrics, risk scores and research papers. Domain names included in Spamhaus feeds may be provided to law enforcement or the ICANN compliance department for evidence of DNS abuse or misconduct.

The deal comes as Spamhaus reports a 29% surge in the number of botnet Command & Controllers – servers controlled by cybercriminals – in the second quarter of 2020.

The Thames Valley-based legal business’ Head of Technology Mark Blunden and solicitor Calum Parfitt advised Spamhaus on the deal.

Mark Blunden said: “Spamhaus currently protects over three billion mailboxes and is responsible for blocking the vast majority of spam and malware sent out on the internet. The deal with ICANN extends that, allowing ICANN to enhance its research capacity.” 

“Spamhaus continues to work closely with the wider industry to protect the internet and its users,” Simon Forster, Spamhaus CEO explained. “We’re delighted that our data will provide additional insights for ICANN.”

An ICANN representative said: “The Spamhaus Data Feeds will be an important addition to our efforts to ensure the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet's global identifier systems.”

Boyes Turner is a leading technology law firm, with UK-based and international clients. Mark Blunden is recognised in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, which highlights individuals who have received constant praise from their clients for continued excellence.