DNS Security Benefits: How It Protects Your Network from Threats 

Key takeaways: 

• DNS plays an important role on the internet, but it can be vulnerable to cyberattacks that criminals can exploit.  
• Fortunately, there are various ways to secure your DNS servers: best practices, security service providers, software and tools.  
• Securing your DNS helps prevent the spread of malware and phishing attacks.  

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates website names into numerical IP addresses that computers can understand. This fundamental process is important for all online activities, but it presents a significant vulnerability if not adequately protected. 

A compromised DNS can lead to severe consequences. For one, it exposes websites to vulnerabilities like redirecting users to harmful websites, intercepting sensitive data, or completely disrupting online services. To prevent these, it’s important for any company or individual to understand and implement DNS security measures as part of cybersecurity strategy.  

Let’s explore different DNS security benefits, identify common DNS attacks, and outline best practices for safeguarding your network. 

What is DNS security? 

DNS security encompasses measures and protocols to protect the DNS infrastructure. By securing DNS, you can prevent unauthorized access, ensure data integrity, and maintain the availability of online services. We will explore each of these security protocols later in the blog. Before we do, let’s discuss the DNS security benefits. 

Why is DNS security important? 

DNS acts as the internet’s core navigation system that directs users to websites and services. Its fundamental role makes it a prime target for attackers. Other factors that also makes DNS security important: 

• Inherent design vulnerabilities. DNS was created at a time when cybersecurity was not a consideration. This early design leaves DNS with built-in weaknesses that create entry points attackers actively exploit. Organizations also find it challenging to fully monitor or control DNS traffic within their networks, which exposes a significant security gap. 
• An added layer of defense. DNS security solutions create an extra line of defense for users and your website. They operate by filtering out risky websites and blocking malicious content. 
• Protection of your web assets. Protecting your DNS shields your core web assets from direct exposure to online dangers and cyberattacks. This security enables you to maintain precise control over how your online properties function and which external sites can interact with them. 

How does DNS security work? 

DNS security adds smart protection to the internet’s naming system. When your computer looks up a website name, DNS usually provides its numerical address. DNS security puts a security checkpoint in front of this lookup process. It does a few key things:  

1. It verifies the website’s address and makes sure it is real and has not been altered by attackers. 
2. It blocks connections to known harmful websites (e.g., those spreading malware or scams) by using constantly updated lists of threats.  
3. Finally, it watches for any unusual or suspicious activity in your network’s DNS requests, which could signal a hidden problem or an attack.  

What are the benefits of DNS security? 

The United States is among the top three countries hit by DDoS attacks, with 12.8% of the recorded attacks as of Q3 2024. The same research also showed an increase in DNS attacks by 62% year-over-year. This data indicates that investing in DNS security helps prevent significant financial losses brought by compromised DNS.  

Aside from this, there are other reasons that make DNS security important, such as: 

Protection against cyber threats 

Solid DNS security safeguards your website against various threats such as: 

• Phishing. Strong DNS security prevents domain spoofing and ensures users connect to legitimate websites, which prevents phishing attempts that can steal credentials. 
• Malware and ransomware. DNS security blocks access to known malicious domains associated with malware distribution and command-and-control servers, which stops infections before they occur. 

Enhanced network performance 

A well-protected DNS improves your website’s performance and leads to: 

• Reduced downtime. Preventing DNS-based attacks that disrupt name resolution ensures continuous service availability and minimizes costly downtime. 
• Optimized resolution speeds. Secure DNS resolvers often use advanced caching and routing techniques, which leads to faster domain name resolution and quicker access to online resources. This directly improves the user experience. 
• Load balancing and redundancy. Many secure DNS solutions incorporate load balancing across multiple servers and redundant infrastructure, which ensures high availability and optimal performance even under heavy traffic or localized failures. 

Data integrity and confidentiality 

Secure DNS ensures that users reach legitimate websites by improving the following: 

• Authentic website access. Secure DNS, especially when implementing DNSSEC, cryptographically verify the authenticity of DNS responses. This ensures users connect to the correct, legitimate website and not replica. 
• Prevention of data interception. By ensuring users land on legitimate sites, secure DNS prevents man-in-the-middle attacks where attackers intercept data intended for a real site. This is important for protecting sensitive information during transmission. 
• Protection against unauthorized access to data. DNS security encrypts underlying data transmission when users are correctly directed to legitimate, secure websites (HTTPS).  
• Compliance and trust. Maintaining data integrity and confidentiality through secure DNS helps organizations comply with data protection regulations and builds trust with users who expect their information to be handled securely. 

Typo correction 

Advanced and effective DNS security helps identify and redirect users who make common typographical errors when entering domain names. This feature helps protect users from “typosquatting” attacks, where hackers register slightly misspelled versions of popular domain names to trick users into visiting fake sites. 

Botnet protection 

DNS security offers a strong defense against botnets. These are networks of compromised computers that a central controller operates remotely. Botnets use DNS to receive commands and report back.  

DNS security directly intervenes and blocks your devices from contacting known malicious control centers and prevents compromised devices on your network from participating in attacks.  

What are the types of DNS attacks?  

Since DNS was built during the early days of the internet, many cybercriminals exploit its vulnerabilities. Here are some of the common DNS attacks: 

DNS poisoning  

Also known as DNS spoofing, this type of attack aims to infiltrate or corrupt the DNS resolver’s cache and redirect users to malicious websites instead of legitimate ones. 

Let’s compare it to signs (DNS resolvers) when traveling to a destination. Drivers (users or computers) rely on it to direct them to a specific route. But if someone maliciously removes the sign and duplicates it to a different exit, it could take drivers into farther detours or dangerous paths (redirect users to malicious websites that lead to malware and phishing attacks). Every time you try to go to that tourist attraction, you’ll take the fake route unless the duplicated sign is removed and returned to its original place. 

Following this analogy, DNS cache poisoning means creating fake DNS responses that contain incorrect IP addresses to intercept and replace legit DNS replies before they reach the requesting resolver.  

Once the resolver stores this false information, subsequent requests for that domain will be directed to the attacker’s chosen destination (e.g. fake websites with phishing links). 

This can persist for the time the poisoned entry remains in the DNS cache, which can impact numerous users who rely on that resolver.  

DDoS attack 

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks involve cybercriminals orchestrating a simultaneous attack on DNS servers, networks, or websites that causes an overwhelming flood of traffic from numerous compromised devices (often forming a botnet). 

This massive influx of illegitimate requests exhausts the target’s resources (e.g., bandwidth, processing power, and memory). As a result, the targeted DNS servers become slow, unresponsive, or entirely unavailable for users attempting to access online services. 

DNS tunneling 

Another DNS threat to look out for is DNS tunneling, which abuses the DNS protocol to create a covert communication channel, often to bypass security measures like firewalls. 

Attackers use this method to send commands to malware or extract sensitive data from a compromised network. Since DNS is usually allowed through most security systems, malicious traffic can slip through unnoticed. This makes DNS tunneling a powerful tool for data exfiltration, remote access, and prolonged unauthorized activity within an organization’s network. 

DNS hijacking 

Also called domain theft, DNS hijacking happens when an attacker takes control of the DNS resolution process and redirects users to unintended or malicious sites. This can occur by compromising a user’s device, router, or DNS server. 

There are several ways attackers can hijack DNS: 

• On a device. Malware can change the DNS settings on a computer or phone to query a rogue DNS server controlled by the attacker. 
• On a router. Hackers can access home or business routers and modify their DNS settings, redirecting all traffic on the network. 
• On the DNS server. Attackers who access a legitimate DNS server can modify DNS records for specific domains. 

Once a website’s DNS is hijacked, users trying to visit legitimate websites, like their bank or email provider, may be shifted to fake versions designed to steal login credentials, spread malware, or display unwanted ads. Although similar to DNS poisoning, they work differently.  

While DNS poisoning corrupts the resolver’s cache with fake records, DNS hijacking involves changing the actual DNS settings on a device, router, or server. Hijacking often gives attackers longer-lasting control over traffic routing without needing to tamper with DNS records directly. 

DNS amplification  

DNS amplification is a type of DDoS attack that uses DNS servers to make the attack more powerful. In a typical DDoS attack, cybercriminals use botnets to send overwhelming traffic to a target website or server using controlled devices. 

On the other hand, DNS amplification takes a more indirect route. Instead of sending large traffic volumes directly, the attacker sends small DNS queries to open DNS servers and spoofs the victim’s IP address. The DNS servers then send their much larger responses to the victim by flooding it with data it never requested. Because the response is much bigger than the request, the attack’s impact is “amplified.” 

NXDomain attack 

NXDomain stands for non-existent domain, and it is an error message that users receive when their DNS resolver is unable to find a record for the domain name they are trying to access. This typically happens because the domain name either doesn’t exist or there’s a problem with the DNS configuration for that domain. 

While NXDomain errors often occur due to simple typos or expired domains, cybercriminals can exploit this through DNS-based attacks. In an NXDomain attack, attackers flood a DNS server with requests for domains that don’t exist. This overloads the server as it tries—and fails—to resolve thousands of non-existent domain names, which ultimately consumes resources and potentially leads to service disruptions or slowdowns. 

Phantom domain attack 

Like an NXDomain attack, a phantom domain attack involves imitating a legitimate website, but with a key difference. Instead of sending requests to non-existent domains, attackers create fake or slow-responding domains (phantom domains) and trick DNS resolvers into interacting with them. When a resolver queries these phantom domains, the response is deliberately delayed or never comes at all. This ties up the resolver’s resources, making it slower or less responsive to legitimate traffic. 

Subdomain attack 

Also known as subdomain takeover, this attack involves cybercriminals taking over a subdomain of a target domain by exploiting the DNS’ canonical name (CNAME) records. Random subdomain attacks usually happen when a subdomain points to an external service that has been removed or is no longer in use, but the DNS record remains active. 

Attackers search for these dangling subdomains and claim the associated external service. Once they do, they can control the content served on that subdomain, effectively impersonating the original domain. This can lead to serious consequences, including phishing attacks, malware distribution, or reputational damage to the original domain owner. 

What are the best DNS security practices? 

Implementing a multi-layered approach to DNS security is necessary for protection. Here are some of the best practices organizations and individuals should adopt: 

Use the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) 

DNSSEC is a security protocol that uses digital signatures to verify DNS records—protecting against spoofing and poisoning attacks. This helps prevent fake DNS data and ensures connection to the correct website. 

Enable a DNS firewall 

A DNS firewall helps prevent access to malicious domains by filtering DNS queries in real-time. It can block threats like phishing sites, botnet communications, and known malware hosts before establishing a connection.  

A firewall functions as a protective layer at the DNS level. It analyzes outgoing DNS requests and compares them against security alerts and threat data. If a query attempts to resolve a domain associated with malicious activities, the firewall will block the request and prevent the user’s system from reaching the harmful destination.  

Monitor DNS activity 

Regularly monitoring DNS traffic helps detect anomalies, such as unusual query volumes or attempts to resolve known malicious domains.  For early detection and valuable insights, continuous network surveillance monitors DNS attacks and internal system compromises. By analyzing DNS query patterns, administrators can identify suspicious spikes in traffic, requests to newly registered or known malicious domains, and unusual query types that might indicate data exfiltration attempts via DNS tunneling. 

Filter malicious domains 

Regularly update DNS filtering lists with known malicious domains and IP addresses reported by threat intelligence feeds and security communities. Here are a few ways to do it: 

• Use threat intelligence feeds. These provide real-time data on emerging threats, so you can block malicious domains before they cause harm. 
• Subscribe to community-maintained blocklists. Open-source or public blocklists are updated frequently by researchers and security professionals. 
• Configure your DNS firewall or resolver. To prevent establishing connections, set it to reject queries to domains flagged as harmful. 
• Automate updates. Automating your list updates ensures you always have the latest protection without manual effort. 
• Set custom rules and policies. Tailor your DNS filtering to block domains based on factors like age, location, or known behaviors that fit your organization’s risk profile. 

Update software and systems regularly 

Like any other software, DNS resolvers and servers can contain vulnerabilities. If you don’t use shared hosting, it’s important to keep your systems updated with the latest patches to reduce the risk of exploitation. Unpatched software can become an easy entry point for attackers to launch DNS-based attacks, manipulate traffic, or access sensitive data.  

Regular updates fix security flaws and improve performance. To avoid potential threats, it’s also important to monitor vendor advisories and apply critical patches immediately after release. 

Configure servers in a separate environment 

Configuring DNS servers in a separate environment isolates critical DNS functions and limits a security breach’s potential impact. This is typically for non-shared hosting environments. This separation typically involves distinguishing between authoritative DNS servers and recursive DNS servers and sometimes further segregating internal and external-facing servers. 

Enable DNS logging 

Another way to monitor and secure DNS servers is through DNS logging, which helps discover and block harmful DNS connections in real time before they affect users’ devices. DNS logging can usually identify and prevent hijacking, tunneling, and DDoS attacks. 

DNS logs are highly detailed .txt files that contain all vital DNS data information the server received, such as: 

• Queried domain name 
• IP addresses 
• Record type (e.g., TXT, MX, NS, SOA, etc.) 
• Request flags (Request, response, recursive, DNSSEC status, etc.) 

By analyzing these logs, administrators can gain valuable insights into DNS traffic patterns, identify suspicious activity, and troubleshoot issues. For instance, a sudden query surge for unusual or non-existent domains might indicate a potential NXDomain attack.  

A high volume of DNS queries from an internal IP to malicious domains can signal a compromised device using DNS tunneling for command-and-control communication. 

Provide team training 

Along with these methods, it’s also important to invest in your team’s knowledge by providing adequate training. Even the most secure DNS systems can be compromised if employees aren’t aware of the threats or how to respond to them. Training your IT and security teams on DNS best practices, common attack types, and incident response procedures helps reduce human error and strengthens overall security posture. 

Regular workshops, simulated attack drills, and updated training materials ensure your team stays informed about evolving DNS threats like spoofing, hijacking, and tunneling. Empowered with the proper knowledge, your team becomes a reliable line of defense in identifying and mitigating DNS-based attacks before they escalate. 

Who provides DNS security? 

Several organizations offer DNS security solutions, from basic protection to advanced threat intelligence and mitigation services. These providers typically include domain registrars, managed DNS service providers, and specialized cybersecurity companies. 

Some well-known DNS security providers include: 

Internet corporation for assigned names and numbers (ICANN) 

One of the key players in maintaining global DNS security is ICANN, an organization that oversees the global DNS infrastructure and enforces policies and protocols, like DNSSEC, to ensure the internet’s stability and security. 

ICANN plays a foundational role in DNS security by: 

• Overseeing DNS root zone management to keep the global DNS infrastructure stable and secure. 
• Developing and promoting DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) to protect against specific DNS attacks, such as cache poisoning and spoofing. 
• Coordinating with global partners and stakeholders to set DNS security policies and maintain trust in the internet’s naming system. 
• Operating the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which manages key internet protocol resources and root zone updates. 

While ICANN does not offer direct DNS security services like filtering or firewalls, it provides the governance and technical standards that enable DNS security providers to operate within a trusted, globally coordinated framework. 

Third-party DNS providers 

In addition to ICANN, third-party DNS providers deliver practical, real-time DNS security services to organizations and individuals. These providers help mitigate threats like DNS spoofing, tunneling, and DDoS attacks by filtering malicious queries, providing DNS firewalls, and offering built-in encryption. 

Notable third-party DNS security providers include: 

• Cloudflare. Offers secure DNS resolution with 1.1.1.1 and DNS firewall features to block malicious activity and DDoS attacks. 
• Cisco Umbrella. Delivers cloud-based DNS-layer protection that blocks requests to malicious domains before establishing a connection. 
• Google Public DNS. Enhances DNS speed, reliability, and security with features that protect against cache poisoning and other exploits. 
• Quad9. It uses real-time threat intelligence to block access to known harmful domains without storing user-identifiable data. 
• Akamai. Provides enterprise-grade DNS security as part of its edge network and helps detect and neutralize DNS-based threats at scale. 

These providers work alongside internal IT teams and global DNS authorities to ensure safer internet navigation and reduced risk from DNS-based cyber threats. 

What to look for in DNS security 

 When selecting a DNS security solution, consider the following features: 

• Threat detection and filtering. Ensure the solution can identify and block malicious domains, phishing attempts, and other threats in real time. 
• DDoS protection. Choose a solution that offers protection against Distributed Denial of Service attacks targeting DNS infrastructure. 
• Encrypted DNS protocols. Opt for solutions supporting DNS over HTTPS (DoH) or DNS over TLS (DoT) to enhance privacy and prevent eavesdropping. 
• Comprehensive logging and monitoring. Ensure the ability to log DNS queries and monitor traffic anomalies, which will aid in threat detection and compliance. 
• Content filtering and access control. Look for customizable filtering options to block access to inappropriate or non-compliant content to enhance productivity and security. 
• Scalability and performance. To avoid latency issues, select a solution that can scale with your organization’s growth and maintain high performance. 
• Integration capabilities. Ensure compatibility with existing security infrastructure, such as firewalls and SIEM systems, for a cohesive security posture. 

By carefully evaluating these features, you can choose a DNS security solution that effectively protects your network infrastructure and aligns with your organization’s needs. 

Make DNS security part of your online strategy 

DNS attacks can disrupt operations, steal data, and hurt your reputation. But with the right mix of DNS security tools, practices, and configurations, you can build strong DNS defenses. From using DNSSEC to filtering malicious IPs and training your team, every step counts toward safer digital operations. 

If you want to enhance your website’s security further, Network Solutions provides website security services that adds a layer of protection against cyber threats. Secure your website with us today! 

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