DPI software enhances network protection

The new functionality provided by the deep packet inspection (DPI) engine can be utilised by IT security solutions to reliably detect malicious activity in network traffic in real time caused by DNS tunnelling. DNS is a core component of the Internet and of paramount importance to the operation of the World Wide Web. It provides the mapping service between a domain name and the corresponding IP, translating human-friendly domain names into IP addresses. As DNS is a trusted protocol it is often overlooked for security as no one considers using the protocol for data transmission.

The use of DNS, especially with port 53, for data theft is called DNS tunnelling. In tunnelling, cybercriminals use the DNS protocol as an established pathway to direct the exchange of information for malicious purposes.

Several tools have been developed to bypass traditional IPS or firewall inspection and network security measures to reach the Internet. The enhanced DNS tunnelling detection functionality of the DPI engine provides a highly scalable OEM software solution for network protection products.

When embedded in a firewall, IT security vendors are able to inspect the entire DNS query for deeper markers of either good or bad behaviour. This way, malicious attacks that bypass common security policies via DNS tunnelling can be identified and prevented. According to the DNS Threat Survey 2017 by Efficient IP, 94% claim DNS security is critical for their business. This is not surprising as in the past year, 76% of organisations around the world have been subjected to a DNS attack and a third suffered data theft.

In addition, DNS tunneling was one of the leading causes besides malware, DDoS and cache poisoning attacks. If not secured properly, DNS attacks could cost businesses over $2bn annually in data exfiltration, loss of business or application downtime, says EfficientIP.