100’000 .ch domain names are secured with DNSSEC!

Imagine you want to visit your online banking website «www.example-bank.ch». Now, instead of getting the correct IP address your computer gets manipulated information and connects you to a website that is owned by a criminal. You wouldn’t notice but disclose your online banking credentials to the attacker.

Luckily, DNSSEC is here to help. The extension of DNS protects you from being misled and helps you reach exactly the address you typed into your browser. A complex cryptographic process makes sure, that you’re always at the right place.

100’000 .ch domain names are signed with DNSSEC

In late December 2019 the .ch zone achieved a milestone with 100’000 DNSSEC secured domains. DNSSEC adds digital signatures to DNS answers and helps to mitigate attacks on DNS name resolution.

The percentage of .ch domain names that are signed is still below 5%, but is rising thanks to a few registrars like Infomaniak, OVH, Firestorm and netzone that sign domain names for their customers by default. The number of DNSSEC signed .ch domain names rose 54% from 1.1.2019 to 1.1.2020.

By January 1st 2020 the .ch zone contained 100’065 domain names that are secured with DNSSEC

Top .ch domain names are just average regarding domain name security

Continue reading “100’000 .ch domain names are secured with DNSSEC!”

DNSSEC Usage in Switzerland is on the rise after widespread attacks on the Domain Name System

Attacks on the DNS System

Cyber attacks on the DNS system are not new. Cache poisoning, Domain Hijacking and BGP injections of routes to public DNS resolvers happen regularly, but they usually don’t get much attention as they target the Internet’s core infrastructure and are not directly visible to end users in most cases. This time it was different. The recent widespread DNS hijacking attacks on several Mid East, North African and European and North American governments and infrastructure providers, published by Ciscos Talos showed that DNS attacks are a real threat to cyber security. Netnod, one of the affected infrastructure providers issued a statement, that called, amongst other domain security mechanisms, for the implementation of the DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC).

The analysis of these attacks also convinced the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that there is an ongoing and significant risk to key parts of the System (DNS) infrastructure. ICANN issued a call for “Full DNSSEC Deployment to Protect the Internet” across all unsecured domain names.

The question is if these attacks and the awareness that DNSSEC is an absolute essential base layer protection for domain names had some effects on the Implementation of DNSSEC Switzerland?

More DNSSEC signed domain names

As a ccTLD operator SWITCH publishes the number of DNSSEC signed .ch and .li domain names every month. While the number of signed domain names is still very low at around 3-4% we see a rise in the numbers of signed domain names for two years now.

Continue reading “DNSSEC Usage in Switzerland is on the rise after widespread attacks on the Domain Name System”

DNS Hijacking nimmt zu

Internetbenutzer die den Domainnamen nytimes.com in der Navigationsleiste ihres Browsers eingegeben hatten, sahen gestern für sechs Stunden nicht etwa die Webseite der Zeitung, sondern eine Seite der “Syrian Electronic Army” oder eine Fehlermeldung. Wie die Los Angeles Times berichtet, wurden die Zugriffs-Credentials eines Resellers von Melbourne IT missbraucht um die DNS-Einträge für nytimes.com zu ändern und die Besucher so auf einen anderen Webserver zu leiten.

Angriffe über das Domain Name System (DNS) häufen sich in der letzten Zeit. Statt eine gut gesicherte Webseite zu hacken, versuchen Kriminelle den Domainnamen auf den eigenen Server umzuleiten. Der Web-Traffic ist viel wert, sei es für Propaganda, wie im Fall der Syrian Electronic Army, oder für kriminelle Zwecke, wie das Verteilen von Malware, Clickfraud oder zur Search Engine Optimierung.

Statt einzelne DNS-Server zu hacken, versuchen die Kriminellen verstärkt, Registries, Registrare und Reseller von Domainnamen anzugreifen. Gelingt es ihnen in die Systeme oder an Credentials zu gelangen, können so oft gleich tausende von Domainnamen auf den eigenen Server umgeleitet werden. Prominente Opfer sind vor allem viel besuchte Webseiten wie Suchmaschinen oder Nachrichtenportale.

Auch Schweizer Domainnamen waren in der vergangenen Woche von falschen DNS Antworten betroffen. Continue reading “DNS Hijacking nimmt zu”