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Posts with tag DNS

IPv6 coming to a root server near you

Posted Feb 5th 2008 10:30AM by Todd Ritter
Filed under: Internet

IPv6 Root ServersIPv6 authoritative nameserver records are in the process of being added to six of the world's thirteen DNS root servers. Root servers are the computers at the top of the DNS hierarchy that are crucial in helping you turn downloadsquad.com into an IP address for your computer's benefit. This change means that networks using IPv6 will be able to use the root servers to resolve Internet hostnames without using IPv4.

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the future successor of IPv4. IPv6 is becoming increasingly necessary as the world runs out of IPv4 addresses (like 100.10.1.1). IPv6 has a much larger address space since it uses 128bits per address instead of 32bits like IPv4.

Unlike IPv4 where you're often provided one public IP address that you have to share with many devices, IPv6 eliminates common network configuration headaches like network-address translation (think: port forwards) since everything in your house from your computer to your Xbox to your Tivo could have a unique public IP address.

[Via BBC News]

N. Dakota Judge rules that "host -l" command constitutes hacking

Posted Jan 17th 2008 6:00PM by Christina Warren
Filed under: Internet, News

A North Dakota judge issued a ruling in Sierra Corporate Design v. Ritz that has some pretty stunning implications about the use of the "host -l" command when accessing DNS records. In the judgment (which was prepared by the plaintiff's counsel and sent to the judge), the use of the "host -l" command is tantamount to computer hijacking and hacking.

For the uninitiated, when using the "host -l" command on a DNS server, the user will receive a list (hence the "l") of all information pertaining to the domain's zone file, assuming it has not been protected. The same way WHOIS returns information on the owner of a domain, "host -l" returns information about hosts on that domain.

And although this was a civil matter, this ruling could (and we stress could, no need getting ahead of ourselves) lead to "unauthorized" "host-l" usage to be deemed a criminal act, per North Dakota's computer crime statute.

Before even discussing the merits (or lack thereof) of the case in question, this judgment just strikes us as uninformed, bizarre and wrong. The "host -l" command when accessing DNS records does not reveal any information that is not set for public display. The plaintiff's contention in this case was that the information obtained by "host -l," non-routable IP addresses, host names and domain registrations was not meant to be publicly accessible. Because the defendant was able to procure this information and published it in various USENET groups, the plaintiff claims that the act was a violation of the computer crime statute.

Here's the problem: "host -l" will only show information that the administrator has allowed to be public. Just because it is a DNS command that many computer users are unaware of does not mean that leaving information that one wishes to remain undisclosed is safe.

Continue reading N. Dakota Judge rules that "host -l" command constitutes hacking

DLS Interview: OpenDNS Founder and CEO David Ulevitch

Posted Jan 15th 2008 10:00AM by Todd Ritter
Filed under: Internet, Security, Utilities, Features, Web services, DLS Interviews

We are long-time fans of the free DNS-lookup service OpenDNS, which serves as a replacement for your ISP's DNS. We recently got a chance to ask the founder and CEO of OpenDNS, David Ulevitch, for a quick history of OpenDNS and for an update on the service.

DLS: What got you involved in DNS?

David: When I was a freshman at Wash U. in St. Louis, I started becoming more active online. I went to buy a domain name and in the process, learned of the need for a solid, reliable DNS service. I was already running my own server, so I took the obvious next step and wrote my own DNS management software. The need became even more obvious when word about my software got around and several people wanted to use it. The software eventually became a service, EveryDNS.net, that's still operating today.

Continue reading DLS Interview: OpenDNS Founder and CEO David Ulevitch

Admins urged to patch their BIND 9

Posted Jul 26th 2007 12:00PM by Grant Robertson
Filed under: Security, News


BIND, the Berkley Internet Name Domain server, is the decentralized name-to-address service upon which the internet runs. Older versions of BIND were very vulnerable to attack, and it's taken years and major changes to reduce the risk of nasties like domain poisoning from ruining your day on the net. A new advisory warns that the current version is vulnerable to similar attacks, and suggests system administrators should upgrade the servers they steward as soon as possible to prevent the possibility of attack.

PCWorld reports, "The problem is particularly worrisome since desktop security software is not effective at preventing this style of attack [...] The attack does not directly involve a user's computer or the DNS server, but rather data that is cached on the server."

So, patch early, patch often and save yourself some miserable headaches.

Ajax DNS: Quick domain and IP tools

Posted Dec 15th 2006 3:25PM by Jordan Running
Filed under: Developer, Web services

Ajax DNS
Hopefully when 2006 is over in a couple weeks people will stop putting the word "Ajax" in their web apps' names. I love the things Ajax makes possible, but as a marketing tool it's no longer useful, folks. Regardless, Ajax DNS is a pretty handy tool. If you enter an IP address or hostname it will do a DNS lookup, WHOIS lookup, ARIN IP lookup, HTTP header check, spam blacklist check, ping, or DNS traversal check, all from the same page. All of these tools have been available elsewhere for a long time--DNS Stuff comes to mind--but Ajax DNS has a nice "one box" approach for simple and fast lookups. If you find yourself doing these sorts of checks often, Ajax DNS might be worth bookmarking.

OpenDNS: Teaching the DNS dog new tricks

Posted Jul 19th 2006 11:00AM by Jordan Running
Filed under: Internet, Web services, Freeware

OpenDNSEvery one of use uses DNS every time we connect to the internet, yet it's been decades since anyone has made any improvements to the end-user experience. In case you're scratching your head (or saying, "DNS? Isn't that the thing that happens when Internet Explorer can't connect?"), DNS is the system that, among other things, translates the addresses you type into your browser into the IP numbers that let your computer to connect to web (or e-mail, or IM, etc.) servers. So how can such a basic service be improved for the end-user? Direct your gaze toward OpenDNS, which adds some features to DNS that immediately make the lives of users easier. In particular, it adds phishing protection and address spell-checking to every web site request your browser makes, without you having to install any software. All you have to do is configure your browser or OS to point to OpenDNS' DNS servers, and the next time an email points you to a phishing site, OpenDNS will block it, and the next time you accidentally type downloadsquad.cmo, OpenDNS will automatically direct you to .com. On top of that, OpenDNS claims to be faster than other DNS servers. On top of that, you can configure which features you want to use (e.g. if you don't want phishing protection, turn it off) without even registering. It's also totally free to use--OpenDNS makes money by placing advertisements on those typo pages. WordPress developer Matt Mullenweg wrote a mini-review of the service and says it's "a great idea, well-executed" and "invisible in all the right ways." I'm sold.

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