Protocol-specific vulnerabilities (e.g., DNS cache poisoning)

DNS CACHE POISONING

Protocol-specific vulnerabilities arise when specific weaknesses or flaws in the design or implementation of a communication protocol are exploited by attackers. A well-known example of this is DNS cache poisoning. 

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What is DNS Cache Poisoning?

DNS (Domain Name System) is a critical protocol that translates human-readable domain names (e.g., example.com) into IP addresses (e.g., 192.168.1.1). DNS cache poisoning exploits vulnerabilities in the DNS protocol to inject malicious or incorrect information into a DNS server’s cache.

This attack allows attackers to redirect users attempting to visit legitimate websites to malicious or fake sites without their knowledge.

Steps in a DNS Cache Poisoning Attack

1. Query Interception:
   • The attacker sends a DNS query to a recursive DNS resolver.
2. Spoofed Response:
   • The attacker quickly sends a forged DNS response to the resolver, pretending to be the authoritative DNS server. If the resolver accepts this spoofed response, it stores the incorrect information in its cache.
3. Cache Pollution:
   • The poisoned cache now contains incorrect mappings, such as associating www.example.com with an attacker's IP address.
4. Victim Redirection:
   • When users query the resolver for the targeted domain, they are redirected to the malicious site.

Implications of a Successful DNS Cache Poisoning Attack

• Phishing and Data Theft: Redirecting users to fake sites to steal credentials or other sensitive data.
• Malware Distribution: Hosting malicious files on fake websites.
• Traffic Hijacking: Redirecting network traffic for surveillance or other malicious purposes.