DNSSEC Root Key Rotated as Security Incidents Pile Up

The DNSSEC root of trust key was rotated on October 11, 2026, marking the second rotation since DNSSEC was implemented, according to hackaday.com. The change comes after the new key entered distribution on January 11, 2025.

DNSSEC resolvers require a new root key to be signed by the previous root key and checked for at least 30 days before it is trusted. The next planned change for DNSSEC is deploying a post-quantum secure signing algorithm.

Separately, BleepingComputer reported that the CEO of a ransomware recovery company has been charged with fraud for allegedly negotiating ransom payments with attackers while charging victims a premium. The charges describe cases where ransomware operators were paid $9,800 while victims were charged $150,000 for recovery, and where the company paid over $8 million in ransom fees while charging customers $18 million.

In France, hundreds of supermarkets suffered refrigeration units switching to defrost mode and heating up, with some reportedly catching fire, after an attack that started on a Sunday night. Losses are estimated at over $300,000, and French prosecutors have called for investigations. Security researcher Kevin Beaumont pointed to Danfoss refrigeration controllers being directly connected to the Internet with the username "admin" and a password equal to the current date.

Also reported: an OpenAI employee was charged with spying after being caught placing hidden listening devices in meeting rooms.

Earlier context

The first DNSSEC key rotation, in 2018, did not go entirely smoothly. Several weeks before the refrigeration incidents, commissaries operated by the United States military suffered refrigeration failures that put units into defrost mode and spoiled food overnight.