The Domain Name System, which helps users find their way across the Internet by substituting user-friendly names for numerical computer addresses, has performed well, but technical and political challenges must be met for the system to continue to operate effectively, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council.

Security must be heightened and steps taken to counter attempts to use the system to control other aspects of the Internet, a task for which it was not designed and is not suitable, said the committee that wrote the report.