Infoblox Highlights the Importance of DNS Security for Meeting EU’s NIS 2 Directive
The EU’s NIS 2 Directive is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape by imposing stricter requirements on essential and important sectors to strengthen resilience against cyber threats. A critical but often overlooked component of compliance? DNS security. Infoblox, a global leader in DNS management and security, underscores why companies need to prioritize DNS to comply with NIS 2 and protect their operations.
“DNS security always was a critical pillar in safeguarding the digital infrastructure of organizations, particularly in the face of rising cyber threats,” said Mohammed Al-Moneer, Sr. Regional Director, Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Infoblox.
Why DNS Matters for NIS 2:
- DNS as a Critical Service: DNS underpins all digital operations, from internal workflows to customer-facing services. The NIS 2 Directive emphasizes the need for resilient critical services such as DNS to ensure service continuity during cyberattacks or technical failures. Without robust DNS security, organizations risk significant disruptions that could impact their operations and customer trust.
- DNS as a Threat Vector: DNS is a frequent target for attackers who exploit vulnerabilities to execute data exfiltration and use fraudulent lookalike domains to increase the success of their phishing campaigns. Poorly configured external authoritative domains can lead to threat actors hijacking legitimate domains. An example of such exploitation is the Horrid Hawk campaign, where attackers used DNS vulnerabilities to compromise systems.
- DNS as a Cybersecurity Control: Protective DNS services are expected to feature prominently in ENISA’s best practice guidance, as they can block access to malicious domains, detect spoofing attempts, and mitigate the risk of data breaches. With many governments implementing protective DNS services and the EU’s own DNS4EU project, DNS has become a foundational element of most cybersecurity architectures.
Best Practices for DNS Security and ENISA: Infoblox expects ENISA, tasked with defining standards for NIS 2 compliance, to prioritize:
- Resilient DNS Architectures: Building redundancy and fault tolerance into DNS systems to ensure they can withstand attacks and technical failures.
- Mitigation of DNS Protocol Exploitation: Ensuring DNS systems can prevent data loss over DNS and instituting robust requirements to secure authoritative domains from threat actor exploitation.
- Protective DNS Services: Blocking connections to malicious domains and providing visibility into suspicious DNS activity through the use of DNS-based threat intelligence on existing DNS platforms.
NIS 2’s current guidance references the US Chamber of Commerce’s NIST Special Publication 800-81, which provides guidance on DNS and DNS security best practices. This document is being updated in collaboration with global experts. Organizations should prepare to integrate DNS security into their broader cybersecurity strategies in anticipation of the recommendations that will come from ENISA’s best practices guidelines.
“DNS security always was a critical pillar in safeguarding the digital infrastructure of organizations, particularly in the face of rising cyber threats,” said Mohammed Al-Moneer, Sr. Regional Director, Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Infoblox. “As the EU’s NIS 2 Directive sets the standard for resilience, organizations in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey must recognize the criticality of DNS in maintaining continuity and compliance. With increasing reliance on digital services, DNS has become a prime target for cybercriminals, making robust security measures imperative. At Infoblox, we see the growing need for resilient DNS architectures and protective services, which are not just an EU concern but vital for organizations across our region as well. As cyber threats evolve, DNS security will be a foundational element in building the resilience required for NIS 2 compliance and beyond.”
