Research Center

In this white paper, we give an overview of the Domain Name System, or DNS, one of the pillars of the Internet. We start by understanding the goal: to assign names to named resources on the Internet and to maintain their database. For this, it is important to understand the structure of domain names and DNS zones. The roles of the actors in the system are domain maintainers, registries and Network Information Centers. The structure of delegation of authority will also be clarified. We give an overview of the structure of data available in the DNS, notably, the resource records (RRs) occurring in zone files. We also review the technology side: the DNS protocol, its operations supporting queries of name resolution, zone file transfers necessary to maintain the system and for reverse mapping. We briefly mention the most popular implementations, notably, BIND, which may be the most prevalent DNS server software. This necessitates a little insight into netblocks and Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR). We address the internal security issues of the DNS as well as the crucial role it plays in cybersecurity. Finally, we provide some references for further reading.

The domain information lookup service WHOIS publishes data about the owners of websites around the world. WHOIS also contains personal information of the European Union (EU) citizens. Further, the database maintains location and infrastructure information of cybercriminals who set up websites with malicious intent.

So far, cybersecurity professionals and law enforcement have been able to access the public information of the European Union (EU) citizens unfettered. They have been using the registry to investigate and blacklist cybercriminal operations. Occasionally, this information helps government authorities with their investigations leading to arrests. There are investigations that used WHOIS information among other sources that resulted in charges against money launderers, hackers, and child pornographers, for instance.

The European Union (EU) may unintentionally be giving cyber criminals a helping hand. The EU’s well-intentioned efforts to promote data privacy through its newly launched General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) have also put handcuffs on the efforts of cybersecurity professionals to protect individuals and organizations from hackers. Unless global Internet authorities and infosec professionals are able to achieve a rapprochement with the EU, black hats may gain unprecedented advantages over white hats. Otherwise, the cybersecurity community will have to develop new approaches to protecting individuals and enterprises against hackers.