DNS Attack is a type of cyber attack that takes advantage of domain name weakness or vulnerability. The Internet has become an important part of our lives today. Each aspect of our lives is around the internet, from banking to shopping to travel.
Since the Web is commonly used, cybersecurity is a main concern for most web users because we hear news of cyber attacks every now and then.
Cyber attacks are common nowadays. Even for many IT firms and businesses they are becoming a major headache. Several great names, such as Google, the New York Times, etc., have experienced cyber attacks in recent years.
In this post today, we will learn about DNS attacks, how they operate and how to counter them.
What is the DNS assault?
In addition, DNS attacks are occurring when a hacker can recognize vulnerabilities in the domain name system (DNS).
Hackers use vulnerabilities to enable DNS attack. For understand how DNS attacks actually operate, you will need to learn how DNS functions first.
The domain name system is a protocol that interprets an alphabetic domain name into the IP address for those who do not know it. In short, the main function is to turn a user-friendly domain name into an IP address that is computer-friendly.
How does DNS work?
If a user types a domain name on the browser, the IP address of the domain name is retrieved by a program that is included in the operating system known as DNSresolver.
First, DNS solver searches its own local cache and checks whether it already has the domain IP address. If not present in the local cache, a DNS server is requested to verify that it knows the exact IP address for the domain.
DNS servers operate in a loop, so that they can scan each other to find a DNS server that knows the right domain name IP address.
Once the DNS resolver detects the IP address, the IP address is returned to the requesting application. For future use, DNS also caches domain address.
While the domain name system is powerful, it seems to be less security-oriented. Perhaps this is why we find various types of DNS attacks.
Server administrators must take some appropriate steps to minimize the risk of DNS attacks. You can use an upgraded DNS version and periodically duplicate servers. Users should flush their DNS cache to prevent security risks at a personal level. You can read a resourceful post at hostinger.com if you don’t know how to flush DNS.
How are Hackers using DNS?
The major problem with DNS is that if a hacker can find a way to substitute an authorized Website IP address with a rogue IP address on any account, then any user attempting to access that page will be sent a fake address. The user would have no idea that the wrong address is accessed.
One of the major problems with the DNS server setup is that it does not know its default configuration. Attackers benefit from this loophole.
DNS Attack styles
In recent years, a sudden rise in DNS attacks was observed. And this threat is not limited only to small websites.
Several popular websites such as Reddit, Spotify and Twitter have also protested about thousands of their customers ‘ inaccessibility.
As DNS attacks are becoming all too frequent, we should learn to identify DNS attacks so that we can handle the situation in a better. Let’s have a look at forms of DNS attacks.
Zero-day attack–In this type of attack, the attacker exploits a formerly unknown flaw in the DNS server code or protocol stack.
Fast Flux DNS–hackers swap high-frequency DNS records in and out to redirect DNS requests. This strategy also allows the intruder to escape detection.
DNS-Spoofing–Spoofing of the DNS is known as contamination of the DNS cache. It is a form of computer security hacking. Attackers or hackers corrupt the whole DNS server by replacing the licensed IP address with the bogus IP address in the server’s cache. This way they divert the whole traffic to a malevolent website and gather the crucial information.
This is one of the most common phishing techniques attacker use to steal the data. Since users type the correct domain address in their browsers, they never know that are accessing a fake or rogue website.
It is therefore difficult to detect this attack. Often users can’t find it until the living time (TTL) expires. TTL or time to live until the DNS solver recalls the DNS question before it expires.
The best method for preventing DNS cache poisoning attacks should be to clear the DNS cache from time to time.
DDoS DNS Assault
The attack from DDoS is known as a Denial-of-Service Distributed attack. It usually occurs when multiple systems inundate a targeted system’s resources. Attackers can use this attack on various types of systems, including the DNS server.
A DDoS attack can crash the entire DNS server and prevent users from accessing the web. However, if they are saved in the local cache, they can access the websites they recently accessed.
Attacking DNS servers can be an enormous network security issue. It should therefore not be taken lightly by companies. We need state-of – the-art protections to mitigate and deter the consequences of such attacks.
How you defend this attack depends on the environmental role of your systems. You should, however, take the following steps.
Get a regular overview of what is going on in a network. You can use IPFIX, NetFlow, etc., for the same software.
DDoS attacks usually reach a network with a second rate inappropriate packet. Consider about some good solutions.
