Sectime.org
The Network Time Protocol is generally used completely unprotected, much like the web was before HTTPS; if our devices were to receive a manipulated timestamp, they wouldn’t know.
This project provides a pool management system for NTS servers, Sectime.org to facilitate the adoption of Network Time Security (NTS), with the goal to eventually solve the problem of unprotected time on the internet.
Sectime is part of our Time synchronization initiative.
What we've done
In 2024, we first wrote about the importance of secure time synchronization and our proposed solutions for pools of NTS (Network Time Security) servers aimed at increasing NTS adoption. Thanks to an investment from Sovereign Tech Agency our maintainers proposed an IETF standard and experimented with an implementation.
In 2025, the ICANN Grant Program supported our project Secure time for a Safe Internet for the development of services that implemenent two proposals for NTS pooling. The project will complete in early 2027.
Roadmap
- Q3 2026: Experimental service for NTS pooling
- Q4 2026: Stable service for NTS pooling
- Q1 2027: Completion of the Secure time for a Safe Internet project
- Q2 2027 - Q4 2028: Scaling of the sectime.org NTS pool services (pending funding)
Support us
Please get in touch with us, if you are interested in financially supporting us.
Initiative supporters & funders
Past initiative supporters & funders
Blog and news
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Introducing sectime.org: a pool of secure time servers
Trifecta Tech Foundation has launched sectime.org, a public pool of secure NTS servers, with the goal of eventually providing secure time synchronization by default for all devices on the internet.
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Video: Securing time with NTS (FOSDEM26)
The Network Time Protocol is generally used completely unprotected, much like the web was before HTTPS. Ruben explains how we aim to push adoption of secure time (NTS) using pools of NTS servers.
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Enabling pools in NTS
We previously talked about how secure time is required for a safe internet. We mentioned how we want to increase the adoption of NTS, the secure time synchronization standard built on top of NTP. For this, we proposed to develop a public NTS pool. In this article, we expand on what pooling is, and what is required to enable an NTS pool.
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A safe Internet requires secure time
The internet has a hole at the bottom of its trust stack, and we need to do something about it. In particular, the internet needs secure time synchronization to fortify the security of our digital world.
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