With more and more data breaches, leaks, and cyber-attacks occurring across the world, affecting big and small business alike and causing total chaos, the importance of cyber-security has never been greater.
In the modern world, businesses across almost every single industry rely on digital systems to carry out their day to day operations. They need computers, networks, and digital systems to store data, communicate with clients, carry out marketing, and so much more.
A single leak or hack could prove disastrous to any business, and thousands of new sophisticated cyberattacks are being developed and launched all the time. This is why it’s so vital for modern companies to invest in serious online security, and protecting the DNS is absolutely essential.
What Is the DNS?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. In very basic terms, it serves as a directory or almost like a phone book for the entire internet. When we use the internet, we type URL names into our browser, such as “Google.com” or “Facebook.com”. The DNS takes those URLs and translates them into numerical codes, called IP addresses, in order to allow connected devices to communicate with one another.
Every device has its own unique IP address, and the DNS allows these IP addresses to be read and communicated between the devices, simplifying matters for us and removing the need for people to memorize complicated number codes when they want to check out the weather forecast or log on to social media sites to chat with friends.
Why Do Hackers Target the DNS?
The DNS works by converting a hostname, which is a URL text address, into an IP address, and it’s being used on every device, pretty much all the time. In short, we rely on the DNS. It’s one of the foundations of any network, and this is what makes it such a popular target for hackers.
Since many modern businesses rely on just a couple of DNS servers to access the internet and keep their devices connected, hackers can easily target these servers and bring entire networks down in a matter of minutes.
Why do they do this? They may have various objectives in mind. Some hackers purely do it for the fun or thrill of bringing down websites of big businesses. Others have personal grudges or vendettas against certain brands and want to see them lose revenue by seeing their sites go down. Others are more malicious, using their DNS attacks to steal or corrupt a company’s data.
The Threats
There are several types of DNS attack that hackers can turn to in order to target a company’s DNS servers and damage their network. These potential threats include:
1 – Volumetric DoS Attacks – Volumetric attacks, as the name suggests, are based on overwhelming a DNS server by flooding it with a huge volume of requests. Every server has its breaking point, and if a massive amount of requests suddenly appear, servers can be rendered temporarily unusable. This type of attack may be called a DDoS attack or DNS reflection attack. There are a few different ways it can be carried out, but it’s all based on flooding the servers as quickly as possible, resulting in sites crashing and needing time to get back online.
2 – Stealth Attacks – Stealth or ‘slow drip’ attacks actually work in a similar way to volumetric attacks but are more sneaky and subtle in their execution. They make use of a low number of specific DNS requests, designed to exhaust the servers and bring sites or networks down entirely. Examples include the PRSD attack or sloth domain attack.
3 – Exploits – Hackers may target specific weaknesses, flaws, or loopholes in DNS servers or operating systems using DNS services, such as zero-day vulnerabilities or protocol anomalies. By exploiting these weaknesses, hackers can gain entry to your network and steal your data.
This list is far from exhaustive. There are dozens of different ways in which hackers can target DNS servers, leading to site downtime, businesses being unable to effectively operate, loss of revenue, loss of data, theft of passwords and personal information, and much more.
Final Word
With so many serious threats and risks associated with DNS attacks, it’s clear to see that companies need to understand the importance of protecting DNS servers at all costs. A single DDoS attack can have devastating consequences for any company, and in order to protect your business, your files, your employees, and your customers too, DNS security is an absolute must-have.
