Currently, there are more than a million websites that are easy targets for hackers. The latest type of attack, “Sitting Ducks,” targets the domain name system (DNS) and enables hackers to take over websites without permission from the owners.
While Sitting Ducks injects fake transactions into the DNS stream and creates confusion in the network, it does not rely on the weak passwords of the user account or a specific vulnerability in the structure of the site as opposed to traditional hacking methods. Attackers have recently exploited a new angle by changing DNS settings at either the registrar level or authoritative DNS provider to reroute a website’s traffic to their servers instead. In this case, the theft can be performed smoothly, and it may occur without the site owner being aware of it.
Sitting Duck is the kind of attack, and the consequence of this attack is terrible. Bogus webmasters make their site projects into distributing services for viruses and scams using phishing e-mails or fake sites. They can also take hostages within websites and begin asking for ransoms to unlock them.
Due to the technical nature of dealing with Sitting Ducks attacks, responsibility falls on the DNS providers and registrars, but website owners can do relatively little. Preventing such incidents includes periodically checking DNS settings and using two-factor authentication for login, and when selecting a domain registrar, it is advisable to go for the best.
The cyberattack on Sitting Ducks demonstrates the need for a system in the DNS environment that is more resistant to threats. Domain registrars, authoritative DNS providers, and cybersecurity advisors should work jointly to establish and prevent measures against this rising abnormality. This is because the digital universe continues to grow. The protection of domain names, which are the basic components of this creation, also became important.
