LusNIC, in partnership with ICANN's Coalition for Digital Africa, developed a digital capacity-building project for African ccTLDs that are members of LusNIC (.cv, .ao, .st, .gw and .mz). The initiative ran until March 2026 and represented a strategic step in consolidating the technical, legal and operational capabilities of these registries.

The project included online and in-person training activities, based on a specific survey of the training needs of each targeted ccTLD, the development of business plans adapted to the reality of each country, and the translation of reference materials into Portuguese.

The first in-person training session took place on September 24th in Mozambique, as part of the Lusophone Internet Governance Forum program; the second training session occurred on November 26th; and the third training session the first session took place on February 23rd, both in an online format. The fourth and final training session was on March 27th, also in an online format.

In total, the project included four training sessions: one in-person session and three online sessions. Each session is adapted to the realities and priorities of each country, ensuring practical impact and alignment with the region's digital development goals.

LusNIC Training

Cybersecurity Practical Session

March 27 | 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM (Lisbon time) | Online

Trainer: Ricardo Pires, .PT

On March 27th, LusNIC will hold a cybersecurity hands-on session, led by Ricardo Pires (.PT), as part of a digital capacity-building program aimed at African ccTLDs that are members of LusNIC.

The session will begin at 9:00 AM (Lisbon time) and will cover best practices and security requirements in the management and operation of a ccTLD, followed by a practical exercise in Capture The Flag (CTF) format, entitled "Anatomy of an Information Breach," which will allow participants to explore a simulated security incident scenario.

Programme:
  • 9:00 – 10:30 – Best practices and security requirements in the management and operation of a ccTLD.
  • Break (15 min)
  • 10:45 – 12:30 – Practical exercise: Anatomy of an information leak (CTF)
1st TRAINING ACTION
Participantes e formadores

Maputo, Mozambique

PROGRAMME

The first in-person training session took place on September 24 in Maputo, Mozambique, as part of the Lusophone Internet Governance Forum program.

Trainer: Assis Guerreiro, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. The DNS service
  2. DNS protocol requirements
  3. DNS Management in a ccTLD
  4. Authoritative DNS vs Recursive DNS
  5. Secondary Servers / Anycast
  6. ISP Resolvers
  7. Corporate DNS
  8. implementation, operation and maintenance of DNSSEC
  9. DNSSEC process management
  10. Recommendations and best practices

Trainer: José Casinha, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. Security operations in ccTLD management;
  2. Continuidade de Negócio (com base na NAU) – Nível Intermédio – Capacitar os participantes para identificar riscos e preparar planos de continuidade de negócio;
  3. Gestão de Riscos nas Organizações (com base na NAU) – Nível Intermédio – Introduzir e aplicar metodologias de gestão de risco aplicadas à cibersegurança;
  4. DNS Abuse

Trainers: Dora Miranda, .PT e Tiago Ribeiro, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. The importance of communication to generate awareness: how to convey trust and national identity through the top-level domain;
  2. Meios e canais de comunicação que um ccTLD pode usar para divulgar e transmitir a sua mensagem (site, redes sociais, blog, newsletters, imprensa, eventos);
  3. Campanhas de comunicação: objetivos, mensagem, público-alvo, estratégia criativa, canais e ferramentas de comunicação, resultados (exemplos práticos);
  4. Initiatives with partners/registrars to promote ccTLD (co-branding, events);
  5. How to communicate with the press.

Trainer: Andreia de Brito, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. Introduction to compliance in a ccTLD;
  2. Legislative and regulatory framework;
  3. Audit and monitoring;
  4. Compliance culture and internal training;
  5. Practical cases.

Trainer: Sandra Martins, .PT

The day concludes with a participatory World Café session designed to consolidate learning and promote the exchange of perspectives among all participants. Thematic panels (DNS, Cybersecurity, Communication & Marketing, and Compliance) will feature guiding questions that encourage practical discussion and the sharing of experiences.

PROGRAMME

The second training session, "Operational Management of a ccTLD," took place online at November 26th.

Trainer: Maria Monteiro, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. History of .PT;
  2. Structure of the .PT domain;
  3. .PT Business Model;

Trainer: Benedita Mendes, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. The registrars;
  2. .PT's Registrars
  3. Application and status;
  4. Communication Channels;
  5. Engagement and partnerships;

Trainer: Maria Monteiro, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. Evolution of the rules;
  2. Review process;
  3. .pt registration rules;
  4. Good practices;

Trainer: Isabel Miranda, .PT
[Demo]

Trainer: Hugo Campos, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. The importance of customer support;
  2. Communication channels;
  3. Opening hours;
  4. Efficiency in support;
  5. Essential metrics;
  6. Productivity and quality analysis;
  7. Customer support models;
2nd TRAINING ACTION
3rd TRAINING ACTION
PROGRAMME

The third training session the session took place online on February 23rd. Its objective was to strengthen technical skills in the implementation and operation of implementation, operation and maintenance of DNSSEC, through a hands-on approach aligned with the operational realities of ccTLD registry environments.

Trainer: Assis Guerreiro, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. Fundamental DNSSEC concepts
  2. DNS zone signing and DS record management
  3. DNSSEC validation
  4. ZSK and KSK key rollover
  5. Verification and troubleshooting using Dig and DNSViz
  6. Questions and Answers (Q&A) session
PROGRAMME

The session, which took place on March 27, addressed best practices and security requirements in the management and operation of a ccTLD, followed by a practical exercise in Capture The Flag (CTF) format, entitled "Anatomy of a Data Leak".

Trainer: Ricardo Pires, .PT
[Presentation]

  1. Best practices and security requirements in the management and operation of a ccTLD
  2. Practical exercise: Anatomy of an information leak (CTF)
4th TRAINING ACTION
MATERIALS

European TLD ISAC: Guidelines for analyzing the threat landscape to Top-Level Domains – Executive Summary [PDF]

European TLD ISAC: CENTR Member Security Maturity Model [PDF]

Formação RIPE NCC: Fundamentals of IPv6 Training [PDF]

Office of the Chief Technology Officer of ICANN: DNSSEC Implementation Guide for ccTLDs [PDF]

IIT – Istituto di Informatica e Telematica: Technical Report – Design and implementation of an EPP server for ccTLD .it [PDF]

European TLD ISAC: Guidelines on Best Practices for EPP Security for European TLD Operators [PDF]

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