In the fast-moving technology space, where terms like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and generative AI dominate headlines, it’s easy to overlook one of the foundational elements powering our digital lives — the Domain Name System (DNS).
From sending the first email to posting social media updates, DNS facilitates nearly every digital activity. First developed in 1983, DNS remains a cornerstone of digital connectivity, a role that has only grown in significance as digital interactions increase. More than just a networking component, DNS is also a powerful tool for gaining security insights. Integrating AI with DNS enables security professionals to better protect their networks while managing the ever-increasing volume of alerts.
Finding a needle in a stack of needles
Security operations centres (SOCs) face an overwhelming challenge: many are swamped with hundreds of thousands of alerts daily. Assuming “only” 500,000 alerts per day, this equates to approximately 20,000 alerts per hour in a 24-hour operation. Each alert represents a potential threat that must be investigated, assessed, prioritised, and, if necessary, acted upon.
This is not merely a case of finding a needle in a haystack; it’s akin to finding a specific needle in a stack of needles. The alerts range in severity from benign anomalies to critical breaches, making the task of sifting through them daunting. With this level of complexity and volume, security teams require precision in detection and strategic prioritisation to combat threats effectively — without burning out and without being paralysed and overwhelmed by the sheer volume presented. Additionally, time is our worst enemy, and the longer it takes to mitigate the threat, the greater the likelihood of the threat becoming further entrenched and moving laterally through the organisation.
DNS: Your first line of defence in cybersecurity
DNS converts domain names (like www.google.com) into IP addresses that computers use to direct internet traffic correctly. Cybercriminals can, for example, hijack those queries and redirect users to malicious sites to steal data or disrupt operations if the DNS is not secured properly.
According to the US National Security Agency (NSA), 92% of cyberattacks rely on DNS in their execution. Businesses need a robust and holistic cybersecurity strategy, with DNS being an active part of the security ecosystem to prevent such incidents. As the first line of defence against a myriad of cyberthreats, DNS security offers a unique vantage point to stop threats before they occur.
Integrating frontier technologies into the security arsenal
The integration of AI and ML into DNS security heralds a new era of cybersecurity capabilities. These technologies enhance DNS detection and response, enabling them to not only spot but intelligently sort and analyse the massive amounts of alerts with unprecedented accuracy, at an earlier stage in the attack lifecycle than any other technology. By automating threat analysis, AI and ML significantly alleviate the operational burdens on SOCs, allowing for a more dynamic and responsive defence strategy.
DNS solutions integrated with AI can streamline the flood of alerts into actionable insights at the earliest possible chokepoint, enabling security teams to focus their limited resources on the threats that truly require their attention. For example, when an analyst starts work in the morning, rather than digging through hundreds of thousands of alerts in hopes of identifying the ones that need attention most, the system has already analysed these events, correlating them with network and other data, and grouped them into a much more manageable set of ‘insights’ that can be reviewed and acted upon in a fraction of the time.
Reprioritising DNS security against cyberthreats
As we continue to grapple with the spectre of cyberattacks, it’s clear that tackling cybersecurity needs constant innovation. While technology alone is not a panacea, the strategic enhancement of DNS security with AI is one of the key innovations that will shape how we approach and think about cybersecurity.
Ultimately, this will not just help to provide better performance and protection but also to assert control over our digital domains, ensuring that they remain safe spaces for commerce, communication, and the community.
