Threat Model

Attackers attempt to inject forged answers into resolver cache by winning the response race.

Attack Path

Kaminsky-style flooding guesses query entropy until spoofed responses are cached for target names.

Detection Techniques

Monitor unexpected answer-set changes, resolver disagreement, and abnormal TTL patterns.

Mitigation Strategies

Use source-port/query-ID randomization, strict bailiwick, aggressive patching, and DNSSEC validation.

Scoring Impact (tie to Panopticon scoring model)

Active poisoning signals are critical; weak resolver hardening is medium to high risk.

How DNS Panopticon Detects This

  • Relevant checks: Delegation integrity, resolver consistency, DNSSEC health, and suspicious record-pattern checks.
  • Severity mapping: Informational, medium/high, or critical based on exploitability and user impact.
  • Score impact: Reliability and security scoring dimensions are reduced according to blast radius.
  • Related findings users will see: NS drift, validation failure, orphaned CNAMEs, wildcard exposure, and policy misconfiguration alerts.

Operator Checklist

  • Verify behavior from at least two public resolvers and one resolver inside your own network before making changes.
  • Make one change at a time, capture before/after query output, and wait for TTL windows to clear so you can confirm impact.
  • Document the root cause and the final fix in your runbook to shorten future incidents.