When it comes to online security, most people think about SSL certificates, firewalls, or strong passwords. But one area that often gets overlooked is the DNS system. Attackers can exploit it through techniques like DNS hijacking and spoofing, which can redirect your traffic to malicious websites without you realizing it. If you want to prevent DNS hijacking and spoofing, one of the best protections you can put in place is DNSSEC.
In this post, we’ll break down what DNS hijacking and spoofing are, why they’re dangerous, how DNSSEC works, how to enable it with popular providers, and the limitations you should keep in mind.
What is DNS Hijacking and Spoofing?
The Domain Name System (DNS) acts like the internet’s phonebook, translating domain names into IP addresses. If an attacker tampers with this process, they can mislead users into visiting fraudulent websites.
- DNS hijacking occurs when attackers take control of DNS queries, often by compromising a server or router, and redirect traffic to malicious destinations.
- DNS spoofing (or cache poisoning) happens when attackers insert false DNS records into a resolver’s cache, making users unknowingly connect to harmful websites.
Why they are Dangerous?
Both attacks are dangerous because they are invisible to the user. You might think you’re logging into your bank or email account, but your credentials could be going straight into a hacker’s database. When these attacks happen, it expose individuals and organizations to data theft, compromised credentials, halted security updates, censorship, and widespread malware infection.
- Data theft occurs when attackers redirect users to deceptive websites that steal personal and financial data.
- Malware infection results when users are routed to infected websites that install malicious software.
- Security updates can be halted because devices are redirected to counterfeit update servers, leaving them exposed.
What DNSSEC Does?
DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is designed to add a layer of trust to DNS. Instead of blindly accepting DNS responses, DNSSEC uses digital signatures to validate that the information came from the correct source and wasn’t altered in transit.
Here’s what DNSSEC brings to the table:
- Digital signatures confirm the authenticity of DNS records.
- Cryptographic validation ensures responses haven’t been tampered with.
- Chain of trust links from the root zone to your domain, verifying integrity along the way.
In short, DNSSEC prevents attackers from slipping in fake DNS responses.
How DNSSEC Works Step by Step?
1. Signing the zone – Your domain’s DNS records are signed with a private key.
2. Publishing the public key – A corresponding public key is made available in DNS so that resolvers can verify signatures.
3. Resolver checks signatures – When a user queries your domain, the resolver fetches the DNS record along with its digital signature.
4. Validation – The resolver uses the public key to verify the signature. If the signature doesn’t match, the response is rejected.
5. Chain of trust – Each DNSSEC-enabled zone links to its parent zone, forming a continuous chain of validation back to the root.
This process ensures that only valid, untampered DNS responses are delivered to users.
How to Enable DNSSEC on Common Providers?
Enabling DNSSEC usually involves a few clicks, but it depends on your hosting or DNS provider.
Cloudflare
- Log in and go to Domain Registration > Manage Domains.
- Select your domain and click Manage.
- Under Configuration, choose Enable DNSSEC; Cloudflare will publish the necessary DS records and activate protection automatically.
Route 53 (Amazon)
- In AWS Route 53 Console under Resolver, choose your VPC.
- Select DNSSEC validation and check the box to enable; this applies DNSSEC validation for public records in your VPC.
cPanel
- Go to Zone Editor or DNS Zone Manager.
- Look for DNSSEC options; if enabled by your host, you can sign your zone and publish DNSSEC keys. Some hosts may handle DNSSEC automatically or with a support request.
Always remember that enabling DNSSEC at the DNS hosting level is only half the job. You must also publish the DS record at your domain registrar for the chain of trust to be complete.
How to Test if DNSSEC is Active?
Once DNSSEC is enabled, you should confirm it’s working properly. Here are some quick tests you can try:
1. Use DNSSEC Analyzer to check your domain’s DNSSEC status.
2. Run a dig command:
dig +dnssec yourdomain.comIf you see the ad (authenticated data) flag in the response, DNSSEC is active.
3. Tools like dnsviz.net provide a visual breakdown of your DNSSEC chain of trust.
Limitations of DNSSEC and Best Practices
DNSSEC is powerful, but it’s not a silver bullet. Here are some limitations to be aware of:
- It doesn’t encrypt DNS queries, only validates authenticity. For encryption, you need DNS over HTTPS (DoH) or DNS over TLS (DoT).
- Misconfiguration can break DNS resolution, so testing is critical after enabling it.
- Not all ISPs or resolvers validate DNSSEC, meaning some users may not benefit.
Best practices:
- Always publish DS records correctly at your registrar.
- Monitor DNSSEC status using validation tools.
- Combine DNSSEC with other protections like HTTPS, DoH, and strong registrar account security.
Wrapping Up
If you want to strengthen your domain’s security, learning how to prevent DNS hijacking and spoofing should be a top priority. DNSSEC is a reliable way to add authenticity checks to your DNS records, stopping attackers from injecting fake responses and redirecting your visitors to malicious websites. While it isn’t perfect and works best when combined with other safeguards, enabling DNSSEC significantly reduces the risk of DNS-based attacks.
Take the time to enable DNSSEC on your provider and test it properly. The effort you put in today will help protect your users tomorrow.
