industryopinion
How to adopt a robust domain name security strategy
Gareth Jehu, CTO at Com Laude discusses the importance of implementing an up-to-date encryption protocol, adopting a robust domain lock solution, managing domain assets carefully and auditing your domain portfolio regularly.
A
t the start of the pandemic, Zoom suffered a setback when hackers crashed meetings by ‘Zoombombing’. Failing to adequately secure its soſtware was costly, resulting in an
$85m lawsuit. Tere are currently more than 30,000 website exploits everyday, yet at least 20% of the Alexa Top 100,000 websites still don’t use any encryption, leaving them vulnerable. Domain names are a vital component of digital infrastructures,
yet security practices can oſten be overlooked leaving companies wide open to attacks. From Encryption to Registry Locking, here we explore some of the key facets of domain name security strategies that are too oſten ignored.
Implementing an up-to-date encryption protocol Active websites, apps and online services that store confidential data should employ encryption methods such as SSL/TLS. Google recently reported that 89% of the total browsing traffic in Chrome is using encryption, but with 20% of the top 100,000 websites still not using any, the message hasn’t been heard. Today, SSL or TLS (Transmission Layer Security) is essential for all
domain names that support critical business functions. A key challenge in encryption has been the growth in free
certificates and the reduction in the terms of validity. Until recently, organisations could buy certificates that lasted up to three years, and only had to authenticate their credentials once during this time. Today, organisations such as Let’s Encrypt issue certificates for months, rather than a year at a time, meaning the domain name holder needs to authenticate them much more regularly.
Auditing the domain and SSL/TLD portfolio regularly Auditing, much like the MOT of your car, provides for a vital health check, covering key factors such as who owns each domain, and how registrations are being used. Like domain names, many organisations see individuals
purchasing SSL certificates on an ad-hoc basis - this unstructured approach can lead to issues and unnecessary costs. Many organisations routinely don’t know key information such as which domain names are using SSL certificates and what the management process is. Once an organisation has followed key steps to explore their
security requirements before considering the right certificate strategy, such as understanding which domain names within the
www.pcr-online.biz
portfolio currently resolve, they can then determine a future policy for SSL adoption and management.
Adopt a robust domain lock solution To prevent domain hijacking, organisations should ensure their critical domain names where possible, are protected by domain locks. A growing number of Top-Level Domain registry operators now
offer a robust domain lock solution called Registry, ensuring only authorised personnel are able to make changes to DNS settings using a multi-factor authentication process. However, not all TLD operators support locking at the registry
server level so it’s key organisations understand what domain names could and should be locked. An experienced Domain Strategist will manage this process and ensure the portfolio is regularly aligned to reflect the ever-changing digital landscape.
Choose a trusted Enterprise Domain Name Service (DNS) partner Major DNS outages can wreak havoc. DNS records are complex beasts that need TLC - but how regularly do we actually check the DNS settings are correct? Organisations oſten have a number of people who can make
changes to the DNS settings. Changes may not always be widely recorded within the wider business, which can lead to details being off-policy. It’s crucial organisations carry out regular audits of the domain portfolio to identify where there might be issues. Every business should understand how their domain names are
being used and whether they’re delivering an ROI. DNS traffic analysis highlights anomalies and high-traffic domain names, which may need enhanced security management. A key part of a DNS health check involves testing the performance
of the DNS infrastructure provider. Working with enterprise providers such as NS1 ensures the critical domain names are supported on the most secure and fastest networks. Auditing DNS regularly is now considered best practice. In 2019,
Te US Department of Homeland Security issued an emergency directive on DNS Infrastructure Tampering. Te first action recommended for organisations was the audit of DNS records to ensure they are resolving correctly, and that Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is being utilised.
December/January 2022 | 15
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