DNS spoofing (also called DNS cache poisoning) involves tampering with DNS records to redirect users to malicious sites, even when they enter the correct URL. DNS poisoning or spoofing occurs when traffic is maliciously diverted from a legitimate site to a fake site by hackers.
How DNS Spoofing Works
Spoofing happens when a DNS server resolves a domain name to a malicious IP address, often without the user's knowledge. These fake sites can harvest login credentials or deliver malware while appearing to be a trusted source.
More specifically, DNS spoofing involves modifying the DNS settings on a server to redirect potentially tens of thousands of people to a fake website instead of the legitimate one. Attackers exploit vulnerabilities in DNS software or intercept DNS queries to inject false records into DNS caches.
DNS Poisoning vs. DNS Spoofing
DNS cache poisoning refers specifically to the corruption of a DNS server's cache with false records, while DNS spoofing is a broader term that encompasses any technique used to redirect DNS queries to malicious destinations. In practice, the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Prevention Methods
DNSSEC: Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) helps to prevent DNS information from being altered by digitally signing DNS records, ensuring they have not been tampered with.
DNS over HTTPS: DNS over HTTPS (DoH) focuses on privacy by encrypting DNS queries, hiding them from third-party surveillance.
General Infrastructure Protection: Organizations should implement DNSSEC, enforce HTTPS, and regularly update DNS infrastructure to reduce vulnerability to DNS attacks.
Detection Tools: Monitoring tools like dig, nslookup, and threat analytics platforms help detect anomalies early.