DNS Cache Poisoning Opens Doors for Internet Criminals

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DNS Cache Poisoning is a flaw in what is referred to as the domain name system (DNS) that allows domain names like "Walmart.com" to be changed into numeric code. In layman's terms, this makes it easier for networking hardware to route search requests. When exploited by hackers, the flaw could allow them to redirect Internet users to malicious sites.

Security Resercher Dan Kaminsky—who discovered the flaw several months ago—reported it to the authorities and had been working in secret with the major security vendors on a fix. The plan was to coordinate a response before criminals discovered the flaw and started exploiting it. In March, experts from all over the world met at the Microsoft campus to put this plan into motion.

On Wednesday, instructions on how to use this flaw were posted on the Internet. Subsequently, these "instructions" (computer code) were put into a hacker tool called Metasploit, which makes them easy to use by not very technically inclined criminals.

Easy-to-use tools, sometimes referred to as DIY (do-it-yourself) kits, have been blamed for the ever-increasing crime levels we see on the Internet today. They are sold fairly openly and sometimes even come with technical support.

Metasploit is open-source computer project used to research exploits and vulnerabilities. While considered a useful tool by researchers, it can also be used by criminals to exploit vulnerabilities within systems.

Dan Kaminsky did an interesting blog post explaining this in detail that contains a DNS Checker tool (top right corner of the page) to see if your internet service provider (ISP) has patched the flaw. I highly recommend everyone tests their system using this tool!

Article Author: Ed Dickson

Having worked around financial crimes for a number of years, I noticed they seemed to be on the rise. One reason for this is technology, which grows more rapidly than laws designed to protect us from it. …

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