🇬🇪 Silknet DNS Incident: potential censorship against Activitypub

silknet_dns_test.py

import json
import csv
from urllib.parse import urlparse

# pip install requests
import requests

# pip install dnspython
from dns import resolver
from dns.exception import DNSException

# Quad9 dns as "ground truth"
# aka https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query
r1 = resolver.Resolver()
r1.nameservers = ["9.9.9.9"]

# GE, GEOCELL(Silknet) DNS as the subject of research
# aka https://maradona.silknet.com
r2 = resolver.Resolver()
r2.nameservers = ["91.151.130.117"]


# Get OONI global server list
ooni_csv = requests.get('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/citizenlab/test-lists/master/lists/global.csv')
ooni_servers = [urlparse(row[0] if row else "").netloc for row in csv.reader(ooni_csv.text.split("\n")[1:], delimiter=',')]

# Get Activitypub instances, sorted by reported activity
headers = {'Accept': 'application/json'}
r_body = {"query": "{\n  nodes(status: \"1\") {\n    active_users_monthly\n    domain\n  }\n}"}
ap_nodes = requests.post('https://api.fediverse.observer', headers=headers, json=r_body).json()["data"]["nodes"] # get node list
ap_active_nodes = [item for item in ap_nodes if item["active_users_monthly"] is not None and item["active_users_monthly"] > 3] # filter low activity nodes
ap_sorted_nodes = [item["domain"] for item in list(sorted(ap_active_nodes, key=lambda item: item["active_users_monthly"], reverse=True))] # sort by activity


print(f"AP servers len:{len(ap_sorted_nodes)}")
print(f"OONI servers len:{len(ooni_servers)}")

results = {
    "AP": {
        0: 0,  # not available on Quad9, not checked on Silknet
        1: 0,  # available on both
        2: 0   # available on Quad9 but not on Silknet <- This is the point of interest.
    },
    "OONI": {
        0: 0,  # not available on Quad9, not checked on Silknet
        1: 0,  # available on both
        2: 0   # available on Quad9 but not on Silknet
    },
}


def check_server(server):
    resp1 = None
    resp2 = None

    try:
        q = r1.resolve(server)
        resp1 = [x.address for x in q]
    except DNSException:
        return 0  # not available on Quad9, no point to check further

    try:
        q = r2.resolve(server)
        resp2 = [x.address for x in q]
    except DNSException:
        resp2 = []

    if resp1 and resp2:
        return 1  # available on both
    else:
        return 2  # available on Quad9 but not on Silknet


for i in range(1000):

    ap_res = check_server(ap_sorted_nodes[i])
    oomi_res = check_server(ooni_servers[i])

    results["AP"][ap_res] += 1
    results["OONI"][oomi_res] += 1

    print(results)

# 00:32 UTC+4 09.05.2023
# {'AP': {0: 46, 1: 498, 2: 456}, 'OONI': {0: 19, 1: 951, 2: 30}}