DNS Assistant Blog

Insights, guides, and best practices for DNS management, security, and monitoring.

What Is DNS Posture Management (DNSPM)? The Complete Guide
10 min read

What Is DNS Posture Management (DNSPM)? The Complete Guide

DNS Posture Management (DNSPM) is the discipline of continuously monitoring and securing your entire DNS footprint, not just its uptime. Learn what DNSPM covers, why it matters, and how to implement it across your domains.

July 10, 2026 · DNS Assistant
How to Choose a DNS Monitoring Tool: What Actually Matters
9 min read

How to Choose a DNS Monitoring Tool: What Actually Matters

Everyone claims to do DNS monitoring, and almost no two products mean the same thing by it. This vendor-neutral buyer's guide covers the three jobs DNS tools actually do, the eight questions that separate a real fit from a costly mismatch, and the tradeoffs nobody puts on their homepage.

July 8, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Building a Continuous DNS Compliance Program (SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIS2 & PCI-DSS Ready)
9 min read

Building a Continuous DNS Compliance Program (SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIS2 & PCI-DSS Ready)

Turn DNS from an audit liability into a compliance strength. A practical framework for meeting SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIS2, and PCI-DSS expectations through continuous monitoring instead of last-minute scrambles, with a free governance framework PDF included.

July 7, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Shadow DNS: The Subdomains Your Team Forgot Exist
9 min read

Shadow DNS: The Subdomains Your Team Forgot Exist

Marketing spins up a campaign subdomain pointing at a third-party tool. The campaign ends, the tool is deprovisioned, but the DNS record lives on. That's shadow DNS: records created outside governance that become an attack surface nobody is watching. Here's how it forms and how to control it.

July 2, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS Governance During Mergers and Acquisitions
8 min read

DNS Governance During Mergers and Acquisitions

When an acquisition closes, you inherit the target's entire DNS footprint: undocumented domains, dangling records, expiring registrations, and email authentication that has to keep working through the transition. Most of it is invisible, and now it's your risk. Here's how to govern DNS through M&A.

July 2, 2026 · DNS Assistant
GHOST STADIUM: How 4,300 Fake Domains Targeted the FIFA World Cup 2026
12 min read

GHOST STADIUM: How 4,300 Fake Domains Targeted the FIFA World Cup 2026

Months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, security researchers uncovered GHOST STADIUM: a phishing operation spanning 300+ domains, part of an ecosystem of over 4,300 fraudulent FIFA lookalikes. Here's how the campaign was built on the DNS layer, and what the warning signs look like.

June 25, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS Rebinding and NXDOMAIN Hijacking: Two Overlooked DNS Attacks
9 min read

DNS Rebinding and NXDOMAIN Hijacking: Two Overlooked DNS Attacks

Some DNS attacks don't change your records at all. DNS rebinding turns a victim's browser into a tool for reaching internal networks, and NXDOMAIN hijacking exploits "does not exist" responses. Here's how both work and what defends against them.

June 19, 2026 · DNS Assistant
How to Read DNS Lookup Output (dig, nslookup, and What It All Means)
11 min read

How to Read DNS Lookup Output (dig, nslookup, and What It All Means)

Running a DNS lookup produces a wall of text most people ignore. But the status codes, flags, TTLs, and section structure are full of diagnostic signal. Here's how to read dig and nslookup output line by line, and what each part tells you.

June 19, 2026 · DNS Assistant
How to Point Your Domain to a New Server
11 min read

How to Point Your Domain to a New Server

Moving to a new server means updating one DNS record, but the details determine whether it's a smooth cutover or hours of partial downtime. Here's how to point your domain to a new server with zero downtime and nothing left behind.

June 17, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Multi-Provider DNS: Why and How to Use Secondary DNS
11 min read

Multi-Provider DNS: Why and How to Use Secondary DNS

When the 2016 Dyn attack took down half the internet, sites with a second DNS provider stayed up. Multi-provider DNS removes your single point of failure. Here's how primary-secondary and multi-primary models work, the DNSSEC complications, and how to set it up.

June 17, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS Disaster Recovery: Building a Resilient DNS Strategy
9 min read

DNS Disaster Recovery: Building a Resilient DNS Strategy

When DNS fails, everything fails. Yet DNS is often the least planned-for dependency in disaster recovery. Here are the failure modes that take DNS down, the architecture that makes it resilient, and the practices that let you recover fast.

June 16, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Anycast vs Unicast DNS: Why It Matters for Performance
10 min read

Anycast vs Unicast DNS: Why It Matters for Performance

With unicast, one IP maps to one server. With anycast, one IP is served from hundreds of locations, and the network routes each query to the nearest one. That difference shapes DNS latency, failover, and DDoS resilience worldwide.

June 16, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Wildcard DNS Records: Uses, Risks, and Best Practices
10 min read

Wildcard DNS Records: Uses, Risks, and Best Practices

A single wildcard record answers for unlimited subdomains. Powerful for multi-tenant SaaS, dangerous when forgotten. Here's how wildcard matching actually works, the security risks they introduce, and best practices for using them safely.

June 15, 2026 · DNS Assistant
What Is a Zone File? Understanding DNS Zone Structure
12 min read

What Is a Zone File? Understanding DNS Zone Structure

A zone file is the text-based blueprint behind every domain's DNS. Here's a line-by-line walkthrough of its structure: the SOA record, serial numbers, NS records, resource records, and the trailing-dot rule that causes the most common zone file errors.

June 15, 2026 · DNS Assistant
163 Brands Hijacked Through Abandoned DNS Delegations: Inside the Borrowed Trust Campaign
11 min read

163 Brands Hijacked Through Abandoned DNS Delegations: Inside the Borrowed Trust Campaign

163 organizations across 30+ countries had gambling content served under their own trusted domains, some for over six years, with no security alert firing. The Borrowed Trust campaign is dangling DNS exploited at industrial scale. Here's how it worked and how DNS monitoring stops it.

June 12, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS over HTTPS (DoH) vs DNS over TLS (DoT): What's the Difference?
10 min read

DNS over HTTPS (DoH) vs DNS over TLS (DoT): What's the Difference?

Both DoH and DoT encrypt your DNS queries, but one hides in web traffic on port 443 while the other uses a dedicated port 853. The difference comes down to a tension between individual privacy and network control.

June 12, 2026 · DNS Assistant
How to Set Up a Subdomain: A Complete Guide
10 min read

How to Set Up a Subdomain: A Complete Guide

A subdomain is just a DNS record under your existing domain, with no separate registration or extra cost. Here's how to set one up with A records or CNAMEs, step by step, plus the common reasons subdomains don't work right away.

June 12, 2026 · DNS Assistant
How to Migrate DNS to a New Provider Without Downtime
11 min read

How to Migrate DNS to a New Provider Without Downtime

DNS migration sounds risky, but with the right sequence, users never notice. Here's the complete zero-downtime playbook: preparation, setting up the new provider, the cutover, and verification, phase by phase.

June 12, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS Cache Poisoning Explained (and How DNSSEC Stops It)
10 min read

DNS Cache Poisoning Explained (and How DNSSEC Stops It)

DNS cache poisoning injects a false answer into a resolver's cache, silently redirecting everyone who uses it to a malicious server. Here's how the attack works, the famous Kaminsky vulnerability, and how DNSSEC stops it.

June 12, 2026 · DNS Assistant
What Is an Authoritative vs Recursive DNS Server?
10 min read

What Is an Authoritative vs Recursive DNS Server?

One type of DNS server holds the answer, the other knows how to find it. Understanding the difference between authoritative and recursive DNS explains caching, propagation delays, and why certain attacks target one over the other.

June 11, 2026 · DNS Assistant
What Is a DNS Amplification DDoS Attack?
10 min read

What Is a DNS Amplification DDoS Attack?

A single attacker can generate hundreds of gigabits of attack traffic by tricking DNS servers into reflecting amplified responses at a victim. Here's how DNS amplification works, why DNS is ideal for it, and how to avoid being a victim or an unwitting reflector.

June 11, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS Tunneling: How Attackers Exfiltrate Data Through DNS
10 min read

DNS Tunneling: How Attackers Exfiltrate Data Through DNS

DNS is the one protocol networks can't block, which makes it a covert channel for data theft and command-and-control. Here's how DNS tunneling works, why it's so effective, and how to detect and defend against it.

June 10, 2026 · DNS Assistant
A Record vs CNAME: When to Use Each
11 min read

A Record vs CNAME: When to Use Each

An A record points to an IP, a CNAME points to another domain name. The distinction affects your apex domain, email, and SSL certificates. Here's exactly when to use each, the rules you can't break, and common mistakes.

June 10, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Self-Hosted vs. Managed DNS: Pros, Cons, and Security Implications
11 min read

Self-Hosted vs. Managed DNS: Pros, Cons, and Security Implications

Full control with zero third-party dependency, or global performance with automated DNSSEC? A practical comparison of self-hosted and managed DNS across reliability, security, performance, control, cost, and operational complexity.

June 9, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS for Microsoft 365: Every Record You Need and Why
12 min read

DNS for Microsoft 365: Every Record You Need and Why

Microsoft 365 requires 6-8 DNS records for email, autodiscover, authentication, and federation. Here's every record with exact values, the DKIM two-step activation trap, the July 2026 MX migration, and a verification checklist.

June 9, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS TTL Best Practices: How to Choose the Right Values
12 min read

DNS TTL Best Practices: How to Choose the Right Values

TTL controls how fast DNS changes propagate, how resilient your domain is during outages, and how much load your nameservers handle. Here are recommended values for every record type, the pre-migration process, and common mistakes.

June 9, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Post-Quantum Cryptography and DNS: What's Changing and How to Prepare
13 min read

Post-Quantum Cryptography and DNS: What's Changing and How to Prepare

NIST is deprecating RSA and ECDSA by 2030. Here's what that means for DNSSEC, DKIM, and TLS, why DNS migration is uniquely challenging due to signature sizes, and what organizations should be doing now to prepare for the 10-year transition.

June 8, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Understanding Reverse DNS (PTR Records) and Why Email Deliverability Depends on It
11 min read

Understanding Reverse DNS (PTR Records) and Why Email Deliverability Depends on It

Gmail rejects email from IPs without PTR records. Here's what reverse DNS is, how the three-way match between PTR, A record, and HELO hostname works, how to set it up with major cloud providers, and common pitfalls.

June 8, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Domain Expiration: The Silent Risk That Takes Down Businesses
10 min read

Domain Expiration: The Silent Risk That Takes Down Businesses

Microsoft lost hotmail.co.uk. Dell lost a backup domain. An expired credit card, a departed employee, a missed renewal email — and your domain belongs to someone else. Here's how domain expiration happens and how to prevent it.

June 5, 2026 · DNS Assistant
CAA Records: The DNS Security Control Most Organizations Skip
11 min read

CAA Records: The DNS Security Control Most Organizations Skip

Without CAA records, any of hundreds of Certificate Authorities can issue a TLS certificate for your domain. Two minutes of DNS configuration restricts issuance to only the CAs you authorize. Here's how to set it up.

June 5, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS Monitoring vs. Uptime Monitoring: Why You Need Both
14 min read

DNS Monitoring vs. Uptime Monitoring: Why You Need Both

Your server can be running perfectly while your domain is unreachable. Uptime monitoring checks servers. DNS monitoring checks resolution, records, DNSSEC, email auth, and WHOIS. Here are 7 real scenarios where uptime monitoring shows green while DNS is broken.

June 4, 2026 · DNS Assistant
What Is DNSSEC and Should You Enable It?
15 min read

What Is DNSSEC and Should You Enable It?

DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to DNS, preventing cache poisoning and response forgery. Here's how the chain of trust works, how to enable it with major providers, key rollover pitfalls, and why monitoring is the difference between protection and outage.

June 4, 2026 · DNS Assistant
DNS Is Becoming the Discovery Layer for AI Agents: What DNS-AID Means for Your Infrastructure
14 min read

DNS Is Becoming the Discovery Layer for AI Agents: What DNS-AID Means for Your Infrastructure

DNS-AID, an IETF specification, proposes using SVCB records to let AI agents discover each other via DNS. Here's how it works, what risks it introduces, and why DNS monitoring becomes AI agent security monitoring.

June 3, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Dangling DNS Records: The Hidden Attack Surface in Your Infrastructure
11 min read

Dangling DNS Records: The Hidden Attack Surface in Your Infrastructure

Forgotten DNS records pointing to decommissioned cloud services let attackers hijack your subdomains. With real incidents at Microsoft, the CDC, and Fortune 500 companies, here's how subdomain takeovers work and how to detect dangling records before attackers do.

June 3, 2026 · DNS Assistant
How to Diagnose DNS Issues: A Troubleshooting Guide
15 min read

How to Diagnose DNS Issues: A Troubleshooting Guide

"It's always DNS" — here's how to prove it. A systematic guide to diagnosing NXDOMAIN errors, SERVFAIL responses, email delivery failures, certificate issues, and intermittent resolution problems.

June 3, 2026 · DNS Assistant
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Explained: The Complete Email Authentication Guide
19 min read

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Explained: The Complete Email Authentication Guide

Three DNS protocols protect your domain from email spoofing: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Here's how each works, how they fit together, the most common misconfigurations, and how to check your setup.

June 2, 2026 · DNS Assistant
What Is DNS Propagation and Why Does It Take So Long?
15 min read

What Is DNS Propagation and Why Does It Take So Long?

DNS propagation isn't a broadcast. It's thousands of independent caches expiring at different times. Here's how it actually works, why the "24-48 hours" advice is usually wrong, and how to plan changes that propagate in minutes.

June 2, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Your Clean Domain Could Be Masking an Attack: The Underminr Vulnerability Explained
11 min read

Your Clean Domain Could Be Masking an Attack: The Underminr Vulnerability Explained

The Underminr vulnerability exploits shared CDN infrastructure to hide malicious connections behind trusted domains. With 88 million domains potentially exposed, here's what domain owners need to know and how DNS monitoring provides visibility.

May 26, 2026 · DNS Assistant
When DNS TXT Records Become a Backdoor: Lessons from a Go Supply Chain Attack
10 min read

When DNS TXT Records Become a Backdoor: Lessons from a Go Supply Chain Attack

A typosquatted Go library used DNS TXT records as a covert command and control channel for 33 months. Here's how DNS becomes an attack surface and why TXT record monitoring matters.

May 21, 2026 · DNS Assistant
How a Routine Key Rollover Took Down Germany's Internet: The .de DNSSEC Outage
13 min read

How a Routine Key Rollover Took Down Germany's Internet: The .de DNSSEC Outage

On May 5, 2026, a routine DNSSEC key rollover at DENIC broke millions of .de domains for hours. Here's what happened, why traditional monitoring missed it, and how DNS-specific monitoring detects these incidents in minutes.

May 14, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Someone Could Be Using Your Domain Right Now and You Would Not Know
10 min read

Someone Could Be Using Your Domain Right Now and You Would Not Know

8,000+ trusted domains hijacked to send 5 million fake emails daily. $500K stolen in 47 minutes through a DNS record change. The CDC's own subdomains serving scam content for weeks. None of these organizations were monitoring their DNS records. Here is why you should be.

May 7, 2026 · DNS Assistant
WHOIS Data Changes: What They Mean and Why You Should Care
14 min read

WHOIS Data Changes: What They Mean and Why You Should Care

Every domain has a registration record containing its registrar, expiration date, nameservers, and contact information. When those fields change unexpectedly, it can signal an unauthorized transfer, an impending expiration nobody noticed, or the opening move of a domain hijacking attack. Here's what to watch and why it matters.

April 27, 2026 · DNS Assistant
CoW Swap DNS Hijacking: What Went Wrong and How Monitoring Could Have Helped
11 min read

CoW Swap DNS Hijacking: What Went Wrong and How Monitoring Could Have Helped

April 20, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Detecting DNS Hijacking: Real-World Attack Patterns
18 min read

Detecting DNS Hijacking: Real-World Attack Patterns

DNS hijacking is an active attack vector used by nation-state actors and organized cybercriminals. This technical breakdown examines five real-world attack patterns from APT28, Hazy Hawk, Sea Turtle, and Evasive Panda, with the specific DNS indicators each produces and how automated monitoring detects them.

April 13, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Building a DNS Monitoring Strategy for Enterprise Teams
11 min read

Building a DNS Monitoring Strategy for Enterprise Teams

Most organizations monitor servers, apps, and networks with dedicated tooling, but DNS often falls into a gap between infrastructure and security teams with no single owner. Here's how to structure alert rules, escalation policies, and team responsibilities for organizations managing thousands of domains.

April 4, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Why DNSSEC Matters More Than Ever
9 min read

Why DNSSEC Matters More Than Ever

DNS hijacking attacks are on the rise. Learn how DNSSEC validation protects your domains and why monitoring the chain of trust is critical.

March 26, 2026 · DNS Assistant
Understanding DNS Record Types: A Complete Guide
12 min read

Understanding DNS Record Types: A Complete Guide

A comprehensive guide covering every DNS record type. What each does, when you need it, what can go wrong, and how proactive monitoring prevents problems before they become incidents.

March 20, 2026 · DNS Assistant