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Generic DDoS Protection: These solutions contain no deep understanding of DNS-based
attacks. Even a small amount of malicious DNS traffic is free to attack the DNS server.

Cloud-based Solutions: These focus on volumetric attacks with no protection against DNS-
specific attacks. The redirection of traffic to the cloud could be a security concern in itself.

Understand which approaches are most effective against attacks. No single approach
can protect against the many and varied techniques used to exploit DNS servers, but a
combination of approaches can prove highly effective. These include:

Smart rate thresholds that can put the brakes on volumetric attacks like DNS DDoS and
flood attacks without denying service to legitimate users. These can discriminate between
different query types and the rates associated with them to service good DNS requests.

Detection of exploits that provide high-performance filtering of malicious traffic by looking
at patterns and characteristics of the exploits, making it possible to drop malicious traffic and
specifically crafted attack queries.

Detection of reconnaissance activity and reporting that can help identify attacks and
allow network teams to prepare for them before they’re launched.

Centralized visibility and reporting that helps network teams recognize attacks happening
in different parts of the network quickly so appropriate actions can be taken.

DNS servers that continue to sustain and perform under attack by building security into
the server itself, rather than having a security solution “bolted on” as an afterthought.

How does your network fare? By using the tools in this article, you will be better equipped to
identify your network’s weaknesses and prevent your company from being the next victim of
a DNS attack.

About the author:

Renuka Nadkarni currently serves as the Director of Product Management-Security
at Infoblox and specializes in the field of network security. Prior to working at
Infoblox, Nadkarni served as the Head of Products for NetCitadel and offers
extensive experience in bringing new security technologies to market. Previously
she led vShield product line at VMware and held various positions at Websense,
Nevis and Cisco. She is an expert in virtualization and cloud security, content
security, NAC, intrusion protection, VPN and firewall products. Nadkarni received a
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Houston.

8 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – April 2014 Edition
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