#560: The one BIG mistake you are making with DNS security today

Big thank you to Infoblox for sponsoring this video. To learn more about Infoblox please visit: https://www.infoblox.com/

Do you know the difference between encrypted DNS and secure DNS? DNS veteran Cricket Liu, author of DNS and Bind, joins David Bombal to break down common misconceptions, explain the crucial distinction between security and privacy; and outline a massive update to the NIST Secure DNS Deployment Guide (SP 800-81). If you run a network, you cannot afford to ignore this control point.

Detailed Breakdown:

DNS is the Achilles' heel of internet infrastructure. While newer protocols like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) solve the cleartext privacy problem, they do not stop malware, phishing, or data exfiltration. In fact, attackers are now using encrypted DNS against us.

In this deep-dive interview, Cricket Liu explains how DNS security must evolve beyond simple encryption to include Protective DNS (PDNS) using Response Policy Zones (RPZ). Learn how to turn your existing DNS infrastructure into a low-cost, high-efficiency control point that blocks malicious C2 rendezvous, phishing links, and DNS tunneling automatically.

We also tackle the DNSSEC confusion head-on. Cricket clarifies exactly why DNSSEC is about validation and integrity, not encryption, and discusses the looming threat of quantum computing on modern cryptographic standards. Finally, we discuss real-world attack vectors, including a wild story about a dangling CNAME record on CDC.gov that was hijacked to game search engine rankings, and how the updated NIST guide shifts focus from just network administrators to security practitioners.

// Links to documents //

NIST SP 800-81: https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Spe...

Inflox Q&A on NIST SP 800-81:

https://www.infoblox.com/blog/securit...

// Cricket Liu’s SOCIAL //

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// Renee Burton’s SOCIAL //

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Blog Posts: https://www.infoblox.com/blog/author/...

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// Books by Cricket //

DNS on Windows Server 2003: Mastering the Domain Name

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DNS & BIND Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for System Administrators 1st Edition

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DNS and BIND on IPv6: DNS for the Next-Generation Internet 1st Edition

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Learning CoreDNS: Configuring DNS for Cloud Native Environments 1st Edition

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DNS & Bind 4th Edition:

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// Website REFERENCE //

Nist: https://www.nist.gov/

Secure Domain Name System Deployment Guide: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news...

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Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only.

#dns #dnssec #cybersecurity