Perhaps have you already wondered “what is a DNS firewall exactly” and “how can it protect my network system”? Actually, DNS attacks have to be taken seriously, for they can be a real threat for your business- especially if you have to provide network services. Also known as 0-day, zero-hours or 0-hour, zero-day is one of the most common DNS attacks for which enterprises worry about.
DNS attacks: the example of zero-day attacks
In a DNS attack, an attacker takes advantage of the vulnerabilities of the Domain Name System (DNS)– the protocol which translates an alphabetic name into an IP address- to carry out an attack. Cache poisoning, DNS amplification, zero day, Denial of Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) are among the best-known attacks.
The DNS indeed became the favourite target of hackers, who make the most of its vulnerabilities to carry out sophisticated attacks aimed at various purposes- stealing money, data, or damaging the reputation of a brand for instance. The DNS was indeed designed for usability, not for security. In this short article, only one will be explained: zero day attack.
First of all, it is important to note that zero-day attacks can have slightly different definitions; some define zero-day attacks as attacks carried out against vulnerabilities that have not been patched yet while others define it as being an attack that takes advantage of a security vulnerability on the very day that the vulnerability becomes known.
Network system vulnerabilities can indeed be detected by hackers and used to carry out malicious attacks. The attacks will be then conducted discreetly and as long as possible, until security companies or software become aware of it. Once the attack is discovered, the company has to quickly develop a security patch to repair this flaw.
The attack is typically launched with a malware, which can spread very quickly across your network and infect thousands of computers. You can read more on EfficientIP’s website.
“What is a DNS firewall?” Asking yourself the right questions to prevent DNS attacks
Hackers look for DNS vulnerabilities, so that they can spread DNS-based malware and other malicious attacks. These are often used to steal confidential company or customer data, interrupt business continuity with outages or damage brand reputation. Fortunately, DNS firewalls can help you protect your system against these attacks; many of them can indeed:
- Detect and block Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) and DNS-based malware before they spread across your network;
- Quickly identify any suspicious activity;
- Prevent data exfiltration, which is something invaluable for your company and for customer trust;
- Adapt to evolving threats and continuously updates to keep pace with malicious IP addresses and domains.
Even though DNS attacks, such as zero-day, have to be taken seriously, efficient DNS firewalls can help you protect your system against these threats and ensure business continuity. If you type some basic keywords on your search engine, such as “what is a DNS firewall”, you will find that some very useful information about DNS firewalls and how they can help you detect and block DNS-based malware activities.
