What Is DNS Security? Everything You Need to Know – eSecurity Planet

Chad Kime
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DNS security protects the domain name system (DNS) from attackers seeking to reroute traffic to malicious sites. Since a majority of business IT traffic now accesses or passes through the internet, DNS plays an increasingly important — and vulnerable — role.
This article will provide an overview of DNS Security, common attacks, and how to use DNS security to prevent DNS attacks and manipulation.

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DNS security is important because all computers use DNS whenever they try to communicate with websites and applications hosted on the internet. DNS converts URL domain names, such as www.esecurityplanet.com, into a machine-understandable IP address, such as 146.75.93.91, that will be used by routers to actually make the connections.
The DNS protocol was designed for use within a firewall on a secure network, and by default will communicate in plain text. The DNS protocol is installed on servers and typically will store the most frequently requested sites — such as Google.com, Outlook.com, etc. — in the DNS cache for more efficient delivery of information to users.
A modern computing environment includes branch offices, remote workers, and mobile devices that must reach DNS servers from outside the firewall. This additional and unsecured traffic can cause traditional DNS servers to struggle to meet the security standards for any organization to prevent attacks.
Hackers will attempt to compromise the DNS process by:
Without a functioning DNS solution, organizations will be unable to reach web-based resources or provide internet-based services to clients. Additionally, some attackers will use DNS disruptions to conceal more dangerous cyberattacks such as data theft, ransomware preparations, or inserting backdoors into other resources. To prevent a DNS attack, organizations need to secure their DNS processes for both local and remote users.
Hackers continuously probe discovered DNS systems because these systems will touch all users in a network. The most common DNS attacks include:
For more information on DDoS protection, see our list of the top DDoS protection vendors and our guides to stopping and preventing DDoS attacks.
DNS security protects against compromise through layers of security and filtering similar to the way next generation firewalls (NGFW) protect communication data flows. Typical security measures include:
Using a strong mix of these DNS security solutions can provide additional security protection for the entire organization against malware, phishing, and botnets. Of these options, one of the most important is DNSSEC, which should be incorporated by organizations of all sizes.
Domain Name System Security Extension (DNSSEC) protocols authenticate DNS traffic by adding support for cryptographically signed responses. DNSSEC can be implemented without cost and will typically be the first step taken to improve DNS security. Most commercial DNS security solutions incorporate DNSSEC as a fundamental offering to all customers.
DNSSEC offers features and benefits that directly address major weaknesses in the DNS protocol, but can be easily confused with other DNS solutions since they are so similarly named. To help clarify DNSSEC, we will explore both the DNSSEC features and benefits and compare it against DNS Security, DNS Crypt, and Encrypted DNS.
When an unprotected DNS server makes a request to resolve a URL into an IP address, it sends out a request. When the answer is received, it can be difficult to determine the authenticity of the answer. DNSSEC adds data origin authentication and data integrity protection through the publishing of public encryption keys along with the IP address and URL directory.
The DNSSEC features include:
These features directly protect against:
While DNSSEC provides powerful protection, it does not provide comprehensive security or protection. A DNS server or service enabling DNSSEC protocols alone still sends requests in plain text and remains vulnerable to other types of DNS attacks.
To understand how other DNS security components complement DNSSEC, let’s compare against the terms DNSCrypt, Encrypted DNS, and DNS Security:
DNS Attacks can be prevented or reduced in impact. Our article on How to Prevent DNS Attacks goes into more detail, but at a high level, different solutions will be more effective against certain types of DNS attacks and less effective against others.
For example, DNSSEC improves resistance against DNS cache poisoning, but does not address DNS tunneling or any of the DNS DDoS attacks. Similarly, a firewall that performs DNS packet inspection will directly address DNS tunneling and some DDoS attacks, but cannot protect against DNS cache poisoning.
As with all cybersecurity vulnerabilities, security is best improved through layers of defenses, improved protocols, and network security best practices such as regular patching, access management, and monitoring for attacks. Each IT environment is distinct, so the specific security that provides the best solutions for each organization may be different; however, all DNS attack prevention solutions should provide protection against DDoS attacks, DNS result verification, and DNS traffic monitoring.
In a practical sense, an organization can accomplish a lot by focusing effort on how to secure DNS on their existing DNS Server without big investments in services or tools. However, DNS plays such a critical role in our internet-dependent IT infrastructure that extra investments can dramatically reduce attack risks throughout the organization.
When selecting a security solution, the main points to consider are:
The three top solutions directly address these issues:
In addition to the dedicated DNS solutions above, DNS security will often be included as a feature in many other integrated security solutions such as next generation firewalls (NGFW), secure web gateways (SWG), Secure Service Edge (SSE), and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). Some vendors even offer onsite tools to integrate DNS, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), and IP address management (IPAM) into an integrated DDI solution for local and cloud-based servers to manage these fundamental network protocols.
With so many options that suit a wide range of capabilities and budgets, organizations should take action to secure DNS servers and communications today. Attackers already seek vulnerable DNS solutions and abuse them on a daily basis.
A modest investment in time can improve basic DNS security, and more aggressive investments can dramatically reduce risk. After all, with most processes now touching the internet, a secure DNS solution can block threats beyond DNS processes and help secure email, endpoints, remote users, and more.
Read next: Network Protection: How to Secure a Network
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