Full Disclosure mailing list archives

RE: Verisign abusing .COM/.NET monopoly, BIND r eleases new


From: Sam Pointer <sam.pointer () hpdsoftware com>
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 14:52:54 +0100

Thor Larholm wrote:
For now, it is returning the same IP address, but I have no trouble
imagining Verisign evading DNS filters by changing the A records every
now and then. Any solution to prevent Verisigns greed should keep this
in mind.

AFAIK the BIND patch (when setup) accepts delegation RRs *only* from
configured domains (ie. SOA and NS records) and forces any in-zone replies
(ie A records such as the one used by Verisign in this instance) in these
domains to be interpreted as NXDOMAIN responses (paraphrase of the ISC's
text at http://www.isc.org/products/BIND/delegation-only.html); giving
normal DNS behaviour.

In short: it doesn't matter what the A record changed to, if you apply and
configure the patch and you get an A record back from a delegation only
domain then it's discarded. What IP address is returned is immaterial, so
moving it about is a no-go.

This is much better than any hard-coded constant or updated list of IP
address options I've seen on various lists.

IMHO I think that this system will die a death as soon as the major BIND
shops have time to test and implement this patch. Most do not run their own
nameservers and when the major ISPs completely bypass this 'feature'
Verisign will give it up as a hopeless task. That combined with the fact
that they seem to have trouble merely keeping the boxes at the other end of
'sitefinder' alive.


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