nanog mailing list archives

Re: Multiple DNS implementations vulnerable to cache poisoning


From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <smb () cs columbia edu>
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 13:55:07 -0400

On Wed, 9 Jul 2008 13:06:53 -0400
"Christopher Morrow" <morrowc.lists () gmail com> wrote:

On Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 12:11 PM, Steven M. Bellovin
<smb () cs columbia edu> wrote:
On Wed, 9 Jul 2008 12:05:38 -0400
"Christopher Morrow" <morrowc.lists () gmail com> wrote:
Pressure your local ICANN officers?

How many ISPs run DNS servers for customers?  Start by signing those

This is likely going to mean some mean OSS changes and perhaps
re-adjustment of where customer zones live to deal with extra load on
auth servers... Also, the customer(s) likely have to ask for that sort
of thing to happen, and include in their OSS re-signing/verifying/blah
when they make changes to their zone(s).

Precisely my point.  (In a related vein, how many folks started
updating their OSSs a few years ago to handle IPv6 addresses?)

zones -- that has to be done in any event.  Set up caching
resolvers to verify signatures.  "It is not your part to finish the
task, yet you

yup, more server load considerations, for services not being paid for
directly by customers... also, this is but a small minority of the
affected devices here. Not that it's not important, but there are
other parts of the dns pie. Someone mentioned CPE devices doing
cache-resolving as well, if their upstream is an affectd device they
are vulnerable, if they are vulnerable they could be subverted :(

My point was really, how do we get dns-sec rolling? From the top-down
that's 'bug icann' right? and from the bottom-up that's:

0) update applications to meaningfully use dnssec data
1) educate users/domain-owners
2) roll infrastructure to the ISP/Enterprise
3) make sure the CPE/end-systems are prepared for dnssec
4) update OSS bits down the dns-tree
5) deploy
6) rejoice?

Just saying "DNSSEC is the answer" is cool, but we've
(network/security community) been saying that for 10 years. How does
this move forward?

Maybe this attack will help...

More seriously -- unlike v6, the pieces here can be updated
independently; they'll then DTRT when the proper bits start showing up
on the wire.  Enterprises can sign their own zones, and give (with help
from Microsoft, of course) their employees resolvers and configurations
that know to expect signatures for that zone.  Enterprises and
consumer-facing ISPs can start deploying caching resolvers that use the
AD bit and TSIG when talking to clients.

The pressure on ICANN and down from there can happen at the same time.
Some day, they'll meet in the middle...

                --Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb


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