DNS Attacks: What They Are and How to Protect Yourself

Domain Name System (DNS) is an essential part of the internet infrastructure. It translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers can understand. However, DNS is also vulnerable to attacks that can disrupt internet services, compromise user data, and even hijack websites. In this article, we'll discuss the most common types of DNS attacks and how to protect yourself against them.

DNS server compromise attack. By Impreva.

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DNS Spoofing

DNS spoofing, also known as DNS cache poisoning, is a type of attack where a hacker replaces the legitimate IP address of a website with a fake one in the DNS cache of a user's computer or a DNS server. When the user tries to access the website, they are redirected to the fake site, which can be a phishing site or a malware site. DNS spoofing can also be used to redirect traffic to a server controlled by the attacker, allowing them to intercept sensitive information such as usernames and passwords.

To protect yourself against DNS spoofing, you should use a reputable DNS resolver and enable DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) on your domain name server. DNSSEC adds digital signatures to DNS records, making it difficult for attackers to modify or forge them.

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DNS Amplification

DNS amplification is a type of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack where an attacker sends a large number of DNS queries to public DNS servers using spoofed IP addresses. The servers respond with much larger packets than the original queries, flooding the victim's network with traffic and causing it to crash or become unavailable.

To protect yourself against DNS amplification attacks, you should protect your public DNS servers, which can be used by attackers as amplifiers. You can also use anti-DDoS solutions that can detect and mitigate DNS amplification attacks.

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DNS Tunneling

DNS tunneling inserts an unrelated stream of data into DNS packets traversing between the DNS client and the DNS server, which is commonly known as encapsulation. It establishes a form of communication that bypasses most filters, firewalls, and packet capture software. That makes it especially hard to detect and to trace its origin. DNS tunneling can be used to exfiltrate data from a compromised network or to establish a covert communication channel between the attacker and the victim.

To protect yourself against DNS tunneling, you should monitor your network traffic for unusual DNS queries and responses. You can also use DNS-based security solutions that can detect and block DNS tunneling attempts.

DNS Hijacking

DNS hijacking, also known as domain hijacking, is a type of attack where an attacker gains control of a domain name by compromising the account credentials of the domain owner or the domain registrar. The attacker then changes the DNS records of the domain to redirect traffic to a fake site or to steal sensitive information.

To protect yourself against DNS hijacking, you should use strong and unique passwords for your domain registrar and email accounts. You should also enable two-factor authentication and monitor your domain name records for any unauthorized changes.

Conclusion

DNS attacks are a serious threat to internet security and can cause significant damage to businesses and individuals. By understanding the different types of DNS attacks and implementing the appropriate security measures, you can protect yourself against these threats and ensure the integrity and availability of your online services.