Computer hackers frequently use security gaps or unpatched weaknesses in the domain name system to launch DNS attack types. In this article, we will take a look at the most popular of them that you should be aware of and how to avoid them.
DDoS amplification attack
Let’s begin our DNS attack types list. The first one is DDoS amplification attacks. The goal of a DNS attack like this is to boost traffic to unmanageable levels. Due to the fact that UDP does not authenticate, cybercriminals send a DNS request to obtain the IP address as well as additional DNS information to ensure that the response is enormous.
Furthermore, attackers can change the requests for all of those enormous answers to go directly to the target, overwhelming it with information it didn’t ask for. The excruciating downtime will be the end outcome.
How to avoid this attack? An Anycast network can help since it contains a large number of DNS servers that can filter and manage fraudulent traffic. It can be screened without harming the network if the capacity is sufficient.
DNS spoofing
The second most popular attack is DNS spoofing (also known as DNS poisoning). It is a relatively frequent DNS attack that includes the bad actor inserting changed DNS records into the cache memory of DNS resolvers. The IP address for the changed records is frequently different from the original name records. Visitors are led to the bad actor’s website. They can communicate sensitive information that could be exploited for a variety of illicit purposes, such as stealing money or stealing identities.
Often, the victims are completely unaware that there is an issue. Instead, they are led to a site that appears to be quite similar to what they were looking for.
It’s challenging to keep safe from such an attack because most people don’t double-check a domain’s IP address before utilizing it. However, we can protect ourselves by installing anti-virus software on our computers, avoiding suspicious links, and double-checking a website’s legitimacy before using our credit cards.
DNS tunneling
The last critical DNS attack is DNS Tunneling. It takes advantage of the DNS to encrypt (tunnel) malware and other information in DNS queries and responses (client-server way).
This is how it works in a nutshell. A criminal registers a domain and connects its name server to its own. A tunneling trojan software is installed in this last step. When a machine is infected, it sends a request to a DNS resolver server. Because DNS is allowed, DNS requests can freely pass across firewalls. The danger begins here. The resolver sends the request to the criminal’s server, and the criminal and the target establish a connection through the DNS resolution server. Because the connection between the target and the criminal is not direct, this hides and makes it challenging to identify the criminal’s computer.
How to prevent DNS Tunneling? Install a DNS effective firewall as the first line of defense to detect intrusions, odd DNS requests, answers, and patterns.
Recommended article: List of DNS terms that every administrator should know
Conclusion
As you can see, DNS service is critical for keeping your websites and online services operational daily. However, it is constantly in danger. So, before it’s too late, take care of your DNS protection.