DNS security should be a focus of your cybersecurity measures as your domain name is used in countless web applications and other online solutions.
For this very reason any vulnerability in your DNS security could have massive implications for your organization. As remote working becomes the norm it has been calculated that around 45% of corporate data now is located on endpoint devices and more that four fifths of employees use multiple devices to access it. Due to this there is a gateway for hackers to exploit in order to steal valuable data.
You may be unaware of how DNS has such an impact on how your company operates and how your group’s technology carries out its work. Suffice to say, if you fail to safeguard your DNS then you are exposing your organization to a world of potential issues.
The Importance of DNS Security
Your DNS is likely to be targeted by cybercriminals in one of two ways – ploys to bring network users to a webpage using spoofing or DNS hijacking or those that attack web pages using DNS response traffic such as DNS amplification attacks or DNS DDoS attacks.
There is also potential for cybercriminals to target unsecured DNS servers to get around network security measures controls (DNS tunneling) or initiate Phantom Domain Attacks that lead to inadequate network performance.
DNS servers are vulnerable to attack as the system was designed years before cyber attacks became so common. Some of the issues that those who fail to bolster their DNS security experience include application downtime, impacted web pages, poor reputation, dip in business and the theft of protected data.
Approved DNS Security Best Tactics
To properly stop DNS attacks, security specialists advise implementing measures:
- DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC): DNS security extensions employ digital signature key pairs to ascertain if the response to a DNS query is coming from the valid proper source.
- DNS over TLS: DNS over TLS applies encryption to plain text queries to stop man-in-the-middle campaigns and hackers keeping a record of what web pages use particular user or application visits.
- DNS over HTTPS: DNS over HTTPS is a different option to DNS over TLS – the main variance being that encrypted DNS queries and replies are masked inside other HTTPS traffic.
These DNS security best tactics tackle the problems associated with Domain Name Servers that do not have proper authentication or encryption, and lead to a multilayered, zero-trust attitude to DNS security. In implementing two of the three DNS security best tactics the chance of a successful attack on your DNS should be greatly reduced.
Failing to Address DNS Security Vulnerabilities
Earlier this year, IDC completed a survey of 900 businesses to gauge the extent of DNS attacks and their impact, and to ascertain what tactics firms were using to address DNS security dangers. 79% of respondents said that they have suffered at least one DNS-based attacks in the past year, with the top DNS security vulnerabilities being:
- DNS spoofing (39%)
- DNS-based malware (34%)
- DDoS attack (27%)
- DNS amplification (21%)
- Legitimate requests being identified as a threat/false positives (19%)
- DNS tunneling (17%)
