Unravelling Ariadne’s Thread: Exploring the Threats of Decentralised DNS

The current landscape of the core Internet technologies shows considerable centralisation with the big tech companies controlling the vast majority of traffic and services. This situation has sparked a wide range of decentralisation initiatives with blockchain technology being among the most prominent and successful innovations. At the same time, over the past years there have been considerable attempts to address the security and privacy issues affecting the Domain Name System (DNS). To this end, it is claimed that Blockchain-based DNS may solve many of the limitations of traditional DNS. However, such an alternative comes with its own security concerns and issues, as any introduction and adoption of a new technology typically does - let alone a disruptive one. In this work we present the emerging threat landscape of blockchain-based DNS and we empirically validate the threats with real-world data. Specifically, we explore a part of the blockchain DNS ecosystem in terms of the browser extensions using such technologies, the chain itself (Namecoin and Emercoin), the domains, and users who have been registered in these platforms. Our findings reveal several potential domain extortion attempts and possible phishing schemes. Finally, we suggest countermeasures to address the identified threats, and we identify emerging research themes

Anti-inflammatory effect of diclofenac diethylammonium gel on acute phase of ligature induced periodontitis in rats

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a diclofenac diethylammonium gel 10 mg/g (DD) on acute phase of ligature induced periodontitis model in rats. Experimental Periodontitis Disease (EPD) was induced in 30 Wistar rats subjected to ligature placement on left molars. Animals were treated with (DD), immediately after (EPD) induction. Saline-based gel (SG) was utilized as negative control and DD gel 10 mg/g was the tested substance. Animals were randomly assigned into the groups. The periodontium and the surrounding gingiva were examined at histopathology, as well as the neutrophil influx into the gingiva was assayed using myeloperoxidase activity levels by ELISA method. DD treatment reduced tissue lesion at histopathology coupled to decreased myeloperoxidase activity production in gingival tissue when compared to the saline gel control group (p < 0.05). The DD gel was able to provide a significant myeloperoxidase decreasing in gingiva tissue confirming to be effective in reducing gingival inflammation in this model.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire