The Domain Name System (DNS) is a critical service for the operation of the Internet as we know it. Although the process of resolving human readable domain names into Internet-routable IP addresses may seem simple, this process is backed by a massive, globally-distributed database. The reliable functioning of this system impacts all users – from end users, to system administrators, to security professionals and event entire countries. Because of behavior and ubiquity of DNS, it has recently become a focus for attackers, especially as both a source and target for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. This presentation will provide an overview of the operation and design of the Domain Name System, focusing on both the global structure along with best practices for a local deployment. Security considerations will be a core component of the presentation, including an overview of recent attacks leveraging the fundamental operation of DNS along with improperly configured resolvers resulting in significant interruptions in Internet service.

Tom Kopchak is a Senior Security Engineer and Operations Team Lead at Hurricane Labs, an Information Security Firm in Cleveland, Ohio who specializes in Splunk design and implementation, network integration, and firewall and network security. Tom is an alum of the Rochester Institute of Technology, with a background in Computing Security and Information Security (MS) and Applied Networking and System Administration (BS). His research areas include computer forensics and data storage technologies. When he is not working with computers, Tom enjoys composing, music improvisation (Acts of Music), and playing both the piano and organ.

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