What is DNS security?
Domain name system (DNS) security is the process of securing the DNS infrastructure from potential online threats. It allows DNS infrastructure to maintain speed and availability and at the same time prevents the disastrous effects of cyber attacks.
A domain name is a simple, easy-to-remember name that human users assign to a website. In turn, the computer assigns a machine-readable address to the site called an internet protocol (IP) address. The DNS bridges people's domain names to the IP addresses computers use to locate the sites.
DNS security is essential for stopping data theft or hijacking websites. DNS security software manages endpoint and network device DNS requests. These platforms continuously update threat intelligence to block malicious sites, simultaneously enforcing filtering and blocking policies to help meet compliance standards.
Types of DNS attacks
DNS wasn’t built with security in mind. Several cyberattacks can threaten DNS systems, which will affect an organization's money, workflow, and reputation. Common DNS attack types are:
- Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks bring down a system or network so its users cannot access it. To achieve this, hackers send high traffic or information to a target system, causing it to crash.
- Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are DoS attacks performed by coordinating multiple systems against a target.
- DNS hijacking directs users to harmful or fake websites by taking over DNS requests. Here, a hacker controls a DNS server and moves traffic to a fake server. The fake one translates a valid IP address into the IP address of a malicious site.
- DNS tunneling attacks encode data, programs, or protocols into DNS queries and responses. It lets hackers distribute malware or steal information as the payloads bypass the target’s defense systems.
- DNS poisoning feeds corrupt entries into the cache of a DNS resolver. The DNS query then produces incorrect replies, misdirecting users to fraudulent websites. It’s similar to DNS hijacking.
- DNS amplification uses the target’s IP address as a source IP. The hackers then send considerable data to the DNS server. DNS resolvers respond to the victim’s system. The request is crafted to receive large responses. This leads to service interruptions or outages in the victim’s system.
Benefits of DNS security
DNS security protects organizations from cyber attacks by blocking malicious sites and enhancing overall cyber security. Below are a few of the expected advantages of implementing effective DNS security.
- Protects against phishing and malware attacks. DNS blocks harmful websites that could potentially spread malware. It only permits reputable websites and blocks unwanted ones.
- Neutralizes botnet threats. The internet of Things (IoT) devices are at a higher risk of getting compromised. Known bot servers control them. The DNS links to the bots' servers can be interrupted to neutralize a threat.
- Prevents typosquatting. As a way of tricking users to visit harmful sites, malicious hackers mimic a website address name with minimal changes. They register intentionally mistyped domains of original websites to distribute viruses. DNS security offers protection against such attacks. It filters domain queries and compares them against a known typosquatting and threat domains database.
- Improves connection speeds. Secure DNS servers often offer faster lookups. DNS security ensures users experience reliable connection speeds now and in the long run.
Best practices to guarantee DNS security
Businesses should implement a proper technique to enhance DNS security so they don't fall prey to cyber attacks. Some of the standard techniques are mentioned below.
- Onsite DNS backup. A backup server is crucial as it helps businesses save time, money, and reputation. A backup is essential not only during planned attacks, but also during hardware or network failures.
- Response policy zones. These zones provide alternate responses to queries by superimposing data on the global DNS. It’s an additional layer to reinforce DNS security. It prevents users from accessing hostnames pointing to known malicious IP addresses.
- Internet protocol address management (IPSM) system. IPSM IP address management for corporate settings. It supports organization, tracking, and altering IP data. Monitoring this data helps to detect abnormal behavior.
- Automated security tasks. An automated DNS security solution lets users respond to threats using advanced threat intelligence. It deals with issues as they happen and collects essential metrics.
DNS security vs. DNSSEC
Users can sometimes confuse DNS security with domain name system security extensions (DNSSEC), but the two have key differences.
DNS security encompasses a broader concept than DNSSEC. It covers various technologies and solutions to protect the domain name system. It protects users from cyber attacks on and off corporate networks. Overall, DNS security tools improve user experience while providing faster connection requests.
DNSSEC authenticates responses to domain name lookups. Although privacy protections aren’t provided for these lookups, the extensions prevent attackers from manipulating or poisoning.
Learn about DNS spoofing to understand its functions and examples.
