February 2025 - Middle-East

ICANN Webinar to Discuss INFERMAL, a Project Focused on Malicious Domain Registrations
by Fahd Batayneh Feb. 6, 2025

Feb. 6, 2025

https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-webinar-to-discuss-inf… The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is pleased to announce an upcoming virtual event on the Inferential Analysis of Maliciously Registered Domains (INFERMAL) Project, scheduled for Wednesday, 19 February 2025, at 15:00 UTC (7:00 a.m. PST; 10:00 a.m. EDT). The INFERMAL Project, funded by ICANN and conducted by KOR Labs, is dedicated to understanding the selection patterns behind cybercriminals' preferences for specific domain name registrars and top-level domains in their phishing operations. This initiative is a key component of ICANN's Domain Name System (DNS) Abuse Mitigation Program. We invite all stakeholders to register for this informative session, which will focus on discussing the mechanisms of domain abuse and the complexities of malicious activities within the registration landscape. About the Session Speaker: Prof. Maciej Korczyński (KOR Labs) Prof. Maciej Korczyński will present the results of the INFERMAL project, followed by a Q&A session, where participants can engage directly with the speaker. Session Coordinator: Samaneh Tajalizadehkhoob, Ph.D. Webinar Information: INFERMAL Webinar | 19 February 2025 | 15:00-17:00 UTC (7:00 - 9:00 a.m. PST; 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT). Register for the session here. More Information Read the INFERMAL Project final report here. Visit the dedicated project page to learn more.

1 0

Input Request for ME SPACE Session Agenda – ICANN82 in Seattle
by Amin Hacha Feb. 6, 2025

Feb. 6, 2025

Dear ICANN Middle East Community, I hope this email finds you well. As we prepare for the upcoming ME SPACE session at ICANN82 in Seattle, we would like to update you on the next steps. Based on the feedback we’ve received so far, it appears that there is more interest in further exploring the "Applicant Support Program" topic. Therefore, we plan to focus on this subject during the session, following the latest update related to this subject. To ensure the session meets the needs of the community, we kindly request your input in finalizing the agenda. Specifically, we would appreciate your suggestions regarding: 1. *Potential speakers*: Are there any individuals you believe would be valuable contributors to this session? 2. *Session description*: Please share any recommendations on how to best describe and frame the session's topic and the session agenda. Your feedback is important to us, and we ask that you please provide any responses or questions by *Sunday, February 9, 2025*. We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Best regards, ME Space Co-Chairs

2 1

Middle East Space Elections Results
by Fahd Batayneh Feb. 3, 2025

Feb. 3, 2025

Dear All, The election of the Middle East Space co-chair positions has ended. We received 47 votes from members of the Middle East ICANN mailing list, and all voters and votes were found genuine. The winners of the elections are: Abdelmonim Galilla Amin Hacha Congratulations to both, and I look forward to working with them. I would also like to thank Layal Jebran for her efforts these past 2 years. Thank you, Layal! Thank you, Fahd From: Fahd Batayneh <fahd.batayneh(a)icann.org> Date: Friday, 17 January 2025 at 10:26 AM To: ICANN Middle East <middle-east(a)icann.org> Subject: [Reminder] Middle East Space Elections Dear ICANN Middle East Mailing list subscribers, A gentle reminder on the Middle East Space chairmanship elections; which, closes on Monday 20 January 2025 at 12.00 PM UTC. So far, we have 29 votes casted, and all 29 votes are from people who are on the mailing list. Thank you, Fahd Date: Monday, 13 January 2025 at 3:24 PM Subject: Middle East Space Elections Dear Middle East ICANN Mailing List Members, I trust this finds you well. The Middle East Space leadership is up for renewal. The renewal process resulted in 6 community members stepping up to take on two slots. The 6 nominees are (in alphabetical order): Abdelmonim Tharwat Galilla (SoI attached as PDF) Amin Hacha (SoI) Fouad Bajwa Layal Jebran Rafik Dammak (SoI attached as PDF) Sami Mohamed Ali (SoI attached as PDF) 4 candidates shared their SoI either as a weblink or as a PDF file. 2 candidates didn’t share their SoI, yet are welcome to do so to the Middle East ICANN mailing list directly. In order to select the 2 candidates of your choice, we have created a voting page using Google Forms at https://forms.gle/FmbwJMt6PcFwcMJu9. Who is eligible to vote? As this email has been sent to the ICANN Middle East mailing list; which, is mostly regional community members who are interested in ICANN, those who cast a vote must be a member of this mailing list before 1 January 2025. As of 1 January 2025, the mailing list had 324 subscribers, and we have the subscribers separately in a file. These 324 subscribers can vote. Votes from voters not on this list will be dropped from the voting count. Each community member on this list is eligible to vote once. In case of duplicate votes from the same voter, the most recent vote from this voter will be counted, and the older vote(s) will be dropped. NOTE: In an early email, one of our esteemed community members suggested that a voter be a member of the ICANN Middle East mailing list for 6 months or more. After checking internally with our Engineering and IT Team, we were informed that such information is not tracked and cannot be reported. The voting system will remain open for 7 days from the time of sending this email. What happens if there is a tie? If there is a tie between 2 candidates for the first place, both candidates are selected as co-chairs, and the election ends. In the event of a tie for first place where 3 or more candidates receive the same highest score, a runoff election will be held between the tied candidates to determine the co-chairs. The runoff election runs for 3 days. In the event of a tie for second place where 2 or more candidates receive the same second highest score, a runoff election will be held between the tied candidates to determine the second co-chair. The runoff election runs for 3 days. We look forward to your votes by Monday 20 January 2025 at 12.00 PM UTC. Thank you, Fahd Batayneh Global Stakeholder Engagement - Middle East, ICANN

23 23