DNS (Domain Name System) is vital to internet infrastructure and translates human-readable domain names (i.e., www.example.com) into IP addresses. While DNS (Domain Name Service) plays an easy role in users’ access to internet resources, it also has some security threats that must be tackled. This paper will focus on some security measures implemented in modern-day DNS designs.
DNS Cache Poisoning / DNS Spoofing: DNS cache poisoning or DNS spoofing attack is an assault against the authenticity of DNS data in which an attacker hijacks a DNS resolver server. This can work in several ways so that the attacker can redirect traffic directed to an actual site to the malicious server, with the intention of many attacks, including phishing, data receiving, or malware transmission (Alao et al., 2023). This poses the risk of breaking the complete chain of DNS response integrity, so protection solutions like DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) should be implemented to keep the DNS safe.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks: DNS is known to be a softer target in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where it could be hit by an excessive serving of traffic that causes it to malfunction or even shut down completely, denying its value to the genuine customers (Alao et al., 2023). This can be catastrophic because, if applied effectively, it can simply take down the whole online presence of the organization or even disrupt internet connectivity for many users. Enforcing robust DDoS prevention schemes, including traffic filtering, load rotation, and redundancy, is fundamental to DNS services’ availability.
Split DNS: Split DNS is a feature by which the organization will have two separate DNS views, one for the internal network and the other for the external environment. At the same time, it granted access to internal sources connected to the public internet, which can exemplify some vulnerability. While an adequately configured split DNS can benefit secure internal communication, it also has some security impact. It can allow outside parties to spy on the inner network workings and learn some of the sensitive information.
Dynamic DNS (DDNS): DDNS Service is the one that provides the capability to update the DNS records automatically when there is the need to modify the IP addresses for computers such as routers that are at home and also devices that mostly happen to have mobile IP addresses (Alao et al., 2023). Dynamic DNS, although it increases convenience, accessibility, and communication of remote systems, poses a security risk. The hackers can gain control of DDNS domains and point routes to attack servers, bringing a wide range of attacks. Exploiting the flaws within DDNS implementations can also result in unlisted members gaining access or launching other attacks.
Finally, undoubtedly, DNS plays the most vital part in the Internet foundation, but at the same time, it includes security issues that must be tackled. Organizations should deploy DNSSEC, modern and well-designed DDoS mitigation approaches, precise domain configuration split DNS, and secure DDNS to counter DNS abuse and attacks. Security checking, keeping the software current, and following the best practices are necessary for the existence and reliability of DNS and infrastructure.
Reference
Alao, D. O., Ayankoya, F. Y., Ajayi, O. F., & Ohwo, O. B. (2023). The Need to Improve DNS Security Architecture: An Adaptive Security Approach. Information Dynamics and Applications, 2(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.56578/ida020103
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