Subdomain Takeover Protection
Subdomain Takeover Protection refers to the measures and strategies employed to prevent attackers from gaining control of an organization's subdomains.
Here's a breakdown of what that means:
Subdomains: These are extensions of a primary domain name (e.g., blog.example.com, store.example.com). Organizations use them to organize different sections of their online presence.
Takeover: A subdomain takeover occurs when an attacker gains control of a subdomain that is no longer actively used by the organization but still has DNS records pointing to it.
DNS Records: These records in the Domain Name System (DNS) direct Internet traffic to the server associated with a domain or subdomain.
How Subdomain Takeovers Happen
The most common scenario involves an organization using a third-party service (e.g., a cloud hosting platform) and then stopping that service. If the organization fails to remove the DNS record pointing to that service, an attacker can sign up for the same service and claim the subdomain.
Why Subdomain Takeover Protection Is Important
Attackers can use a hijacked subdomain to:
Launch Phishing Attacks: They can create websites that mimic the organization's branding to steal user credentials.
Distribute Malware: They can host and spread malicious software.
Damage Reputation: They can post defamatory content or redirect users to competitor websites.
Intercept Sensitive Information: If the subdomain was previously used for a sensitive purpose, attackers might be able to intercept data.
Key Elements of Subdomain Takeover Protection
Regular Monitoring: Continuously scanning DNS records and subdomains to identify potential takeover vulnerabilities.
DNS Record Management: Maintaining accurate and up-to-date DNS records, and promptly removing records for decommissioned services.
Service Provider Awareness: Understanding the risks associated with third-party services and following their best practices for subdomain management.
Automation: Using automated tools to detect and prevent subdomain takeovers.
Here's how ThreatNG helps with subdomain takeover protection:
ThreatNG's external discovery capabilities are crucial for identifying existing subdomains and their associated configurations. This is the first step in identifying potential takeover targets. For example, ThreatNG discovers all the subdomains related to an organization's primary domain, which is essential for a complete assessment of subdomain takeover risks.
ThreatNG specifically includes "Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility" as one of its external assessment ratings. This assessment directly evaluates an organization's vulnerability to subdomain takeovers.
ThreatNG's assessment uses external attack surface and digital risk intelligence incorporating Domain Intelligence. This intelligence includes a comprehensive analysis of the website's subdomains, DNS records, SSL certificate statuses, and other relevant factors. By analyzing these factors, ThreatNG can pinpoint subdomains susceptible to takeover.
3. Reporting
ThreatNG's reporting capabilities can highlight vulnerable subdomains and provide alerts about potential takeover risks. This allows security teams to identify and address these vulnerabilities. For example, reports can include:
A list of subdomains with high takeover susceptibility scores.
Notifications when new subdomains with potential vulnerabilities are detected.
ThreatNG's continuous monitoring of the external attack surface ensures that subdomain takeover vulnerabilities are detected promptly. Because DNS records and service configurations change frequently, constant monitoring is essential for adequate subdomain takeover protection.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information that aids in the analysis of subdomain takeover vulnerabilities:
Domain Intelligence: This module provides in-depth information about subdomains and DNS records, which is crucial for understanding the technical details of a potential takeover. For example, it can reveal outdated or misconfigured DNS records, making a subdomain vulnerable.
6. Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG's subdomain takeover protection capabilities can be integrated with other security solutions to provide a more comprehensive approach:
DNS Management Tools: ThreatNG can complement DNS management tools by providing alerts about vulnerable subdomains, allowing administrators to take corrective action within their DNS management interface.
Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) Platforms: ThreatNG can trigger automated responses in SOAR platforms to address subdomain takeover risks, such as automatically notifying security teams or initiating remediation workflows.
ThreatNG offers a suite of capabilities directly relevant to subdomain takeover protection. Its external discovery, assessment, reporting, continuous monitoring, and investigation modules help organizations identify, assess, and manage the risks associated with subdomain takeovers.
