DNS for Cybersecurity – Strengthening Your Digital Defenses

cybersecurity has become must-have in the modern industry. The reason is that data has become very useful and more of it is now available online. Bad actors have a lot of incentive to steal sensitive information and sell it to others or use it themselves.

The internet is the most common vector of cyberattacks because it offers the most connectivity. As such, network infrastructure like internet protocols and the domain name system need to be secured to prevent and minimize data leaks.

Today, we will check out why securing DNS is important for improving your organization's overall defenses.

How Does DNS Work?

Before we can understand the risks associated with DNS, we need to understand how the whole system works. That way, we can identify threat vectors and come up with ways to counteract them.

Given below is a simplified description of the DNS and how it works.

The entire DNS is drawd from a hierarchical system. This is how the hierarchy goes from lowest to highest.

• The lowest in the chain is the client. This is the Computer or mobile that is making a request.
• DNS resolver. This is the server that entertains client requests. It has a cache where it stores data about frequent requests.
• The root server. This is the server that has info about root-level domains.
• TLD Server. This is the server that has info on the top-level domains (TLDs).
• The Nameserver. This is the highest server in the hierarchy, it has the complete information about a domain.

In all of these servers, the information is present in the form of text files called DNS records. Different DNS records contain different information that allows the DNS to do its function. Some examples, the A record contains information about the domain name and the IPv4 address it is assigned.

Without an A record, requests for domains would remain unresolved because there would be no information. There are plenty of other records and many of them are related to security as well.

Each server in the hierarchy stores the records in its cache for a limited amount of time (except nameservers, which store information about their domains indefinitely).

DNS Resolution

When a client makes a request for a website the DNS resolution check starts. The resolver checks the domain name and checks its cache to see if it has the on-point records. If it doesn't it queries the root server. The root server provides the name of the TLD server that has the information. The TLD server, consequently, provides the nameserver's information. The nameserver provides the complete information that the resolver needs.

The resolver provides the info to the client and stores it in its cache as well. The entire process of querying all servers in the hierarchy is called the DNS lookup process.

For now, this is all you need to know about the DNS.

What are Some Cyberattacks That Target DNS Vulnerabilities?

Cyberattacks that target DNS vulnerabilities exploit the important role DNS plays in translating domain names into IP addresses, effectively directing internet traffic. Here are some common types of DNS-pinpoint cyberattacks:

1.       DNS Spoofing (Cache Poisoning):

In DNS spoofing, attackers corrupt the DNS cache on a server, causing it to return incorrect IP addresses for domain names. This can redirect users to malicious websites without their knowledge.

2.     DNS Tunneling:

In DNS tunneling, attackers use DNS queries and responses to tunnel other protocols, often for exfiltrating data or bypassing firewalls. DNS tunneling can allow attackers to send and receive data disguised as normal DNS traffic.

3.     DNS Amplification (DDoS Attack):

Attackers exploit open DNS resolvers to flood a target with amplified traffic. This is known as DNS amplification–a type of DDoS attack.  By sending a small DNS query to a server, the attacker causes the server to return a large response to the victim, overwhelming their systems.

4.    DNS Hijacking:

In this kind of attack, bad actors gain unauthorized control over a DNS server or modify DNS records. This redirects users from legitimate sites to malicious ones. This can lead to phishing, malware distribution, or surveillance.

5.    DNS Rebinding:

DNS rebinding is an advanced attack. In this cyberattack, perpetrators manipulate the DNS responses received by a victim's browser. The most common effects include causing the device to indulge in unwanted interactions with local network devices or other internal resources. The idea is to get unauthorized access or steal data.

6.    NXDOMAIN Attack:

In this attack, bad actors flood DNS resolvers with queries for non-existent domains (NXDOMAIN). This overloads the DNS servers, causing them to spend resources on processing these queries and potentially slowing down or disrupting legitimate DNS services.

How Can You Secure Your DNS to Protect Against Cyberattacks?

There are many ways to secure your DNS to protect against cyberattacks. We have listed some of the most methods below.

1.       Making use of DNSSEC

DNSSEC is a security protocol that uses public key cryptography to secure DNS records as well as their source.

Basically, with the carry outation of DNSSEC, you can ensure that any DNS records you engage with have not been changed or tampered with in any way. And that they are from the source that they say they are.

This is done via DS and DNSKEY records. DNSKEY records contain the public key that is used to verify the signature on DNS records signed by the corresponding private key.

The DS record is used to establish a chain of trust between parent and child zones. The chain of trust is used to verify the sources of DNS records and ensure that they don't come from a suspicious or spoofed domain.

You can use dns-lookup.net to check DNSKEY and DS records of a domain.

So, to secure your DNS infrastructure, use DNSSEC-enabled servers and carry out DNSSEC.

2.     Use Secure DNS Providers

DNS service providers like Cloudflare invest a lot of money to beef up their security. Cloudflare in particular prides itself on its DDoS and spoofing protection.

Investing in these services may seem costly at first, but they don't cost anywhere near the damage caused by DNS vulnerabilities.

So, don't cheap out and use the best service possible to secure your DNS infrastructure.

3.     Monitor and Audit DNS Traffic

DNS traffic can be used as an early warning indicator for anomalous activity. Signs such as unusual spikes in traffic, and weird patterns. These can suggest that your network might be compromised.

Upon seeing the signs, your security team can do a sweep and find the culprit.

Common causes of unusual DNS traffic are:

• Data exfiltration attack
• Command and control transmisions (C2)

So, it might be wise to check for those first.

DNS is an key part of the internet. As such, it is commonly used as an attack vector. That's why securing your DNS is mandatory to beef up your cybersecurity.

By now, you should have learned how DNS works, what are the various ways it can be used for compromising networks, and how you can protect against them.

If any of this information was news to you, then you should evaluate your DNS security pronto.

More in Category

How Do Businesses Benefit From Using a Digital Footprint Che... Why Regular Updates Are Crucial for Your Cybersecurity Guide Mapping Cybersecurity Pathways — The NIST Framework Explai... Enterprise DDoS Protection: Safeguarding Your Network from C... Advanced Data Protection Best Practices and Emerging Technol... Corporate Video security in the digital era 5 Practical Steps To Avoid Identity Theft The Cost of a Data Breach: Why Investing in Cybersecurity Is... Understanding How Web Hosting Works Understanding How Web Hosting Works What You Need to Know about Security Features in Modern Smar... Podcasts That Uncover the Latest Solutions in Cybersecurity