Domain Monitoring

What is Domain Monitoring?

Domain monitoring is the practice of monitoring an organization’s internet domains to identify any suspicious or unauthorized activity.

This includes tracking changes to domain registrations, detecting look-alike or typosquatting domains, and monitoring for any signs that a domain might be used for malicious purposes like phishing or spreading malware.

The ultimate goal of domain monitoring is to protect your brand, website, or organization by catching potential threats early and taking action to mitigate those risks.

Why Is Domain Monitoring Important?

According to IBM, the top initial infection vectors are phishing and stolen credentials.

These attack vectors often exploit domains in some capacity, making domain monitoring an essential defense mechanism.

Domain monitoring helps organizations in the following ways:

Improved Security: Domain monitoring helps identify and mitigate threats like phishing attacks, where malicious actors create look-alike domains to trick users and steal sensitive information.
Brand Protection: Helps safeguard your brand by detecting unauthorized use of similar or identical domain names that could be used to trick customers or damage your reputation.
Customer Trust: Ensuring the security of your domain helps preserve trust, as customers are less likely to fall victim to scams impersonating your brand.

How Does Domain Monitoring Work?

Domain monitoring works by continuously tracking various aspects of a domain to identify and respond to potential threats. Here’s a breakdown of key areas:

Registration Monitoring: This involves keeping an eye on new domain registrations, especially those that are similar to your organization’s domains. This helps detect typosquatting and phishing attempts early.
DNS Monitoring: Track all DNS records and changes. This can alert you to unauthorized changes that might indicate a hijacking attempt.
WHOIS Data Monitoring: Keep track of the WHOIS ownership and contact details of your domains. Any changes in this data can signal potential security issues or unauthorized transfers.
SSL Certificate Monitoring: Monitoring SSL certificates ensures they are valid and haven’t expired, which is crucial for maintaining secure communications.
Content Monitoring: Monitoring the content on a domain helps detect unauthorized changes or the presence of malicious code.

Real-World Examples of Domain-Based Attacks

Netnod: Netnod is a major DNS provider based in Sweden. They run one of the 13 “root” name servers, a critical part of the global DNS infrastructure. From 2018 to 2019, attackers targeted their infrastructure by sending unauthorized EPP instructions to various registries. This allowed them to redirect traffic and capture sensitive information. The attackers were also able to disable DNSSEC safeguards long enough to obtain SSL certificates for Netnod’s email servers.
Google Vietnam: In 2015, the threat actor group LizardSquad, gained unauthorized access to the DNS settings of Google Vietnam’s domain. This allowed them to redirect visitors to a malicious website displaying the group’s message. Beyond the significant disruptions this caused, the attackers had access to any sensitive data sent to the hijacked domains.
OCBC Bank: In 2021, customers of Singapore’s Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) were hit by phishing attacks, resulting in approximately $8.5 million in losses across 470 customers. The attackers used fraudulent domains to trick customers into providing their account details. Despite the bank’s efforts to shut down these domains and alert customers, the attackers continually set up new “mule” accounts to receive the stolen funds.

Benefits of Domain Monitoring

Proactive Threat Detection: Domain monitoring can catch threats early by identifying suspicious activity before attackers can cause damage.
Faster Incident Response: Automated alerts allow security teams to react quickly to potential threats, mitigating the risk of serious breaches.
Regulatory Compliance: Certain industries have specific compliance requirements regarding cybersecurity. Domain monitoring can help ensure that your organization meets these standards.

How to Get Started with Domain Monitoring?

To effectively implement domain monitoring, follow these key steps:

1. Define Objectives and Scope

Identify Critical Domains: List all your organization’s domains, including subdomains and related assets that need monitoring.
Determine Key Threats: Understand the types of threats you aim to detect, such as typosquatting, DNS hijacking, and unauthorized changes.

2. Choose the Right Tools

Domain Monitoring: Track new domain registrations, new TLS certs generated, changes in DNS records, and WHOIS data.
DNS Monitoring: Implement DNS monitoring tools to detect changes in DNS records.
WHOIS Data Monitoring: Use WHOIS data monitoring tools to keep track of ownership changes and expiration dates.

3. Set Up Automated Alerts

Configuration: Configure your monitoring tools to send automated alerts for any suspicious domains, such as lookalike or typosquatting domains registered as well as any changes to DNS records.
Custom Alerts: Customize alerts based on specific keywords, patterns, or threat intelligence relevant to your organization.

4. Integrate with Security Operations

SIEM Integration: Integrate domain monitoring tools with your SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system for centralized logging and alerting.
Incident Response: Develop and implement incident response procedures for handling alerts from domain monitoring tools.

5. Continuous Monitoring and Analysis

Regular Audits: Conduct regular audits of your domain portfolio to ensure your asset inventory is up to date and monitoring settings are configured correctly.
Threat Intelligence: Integrate data breach monitoring to gain visibility into leaked employee credentials that could be used to make unauthorized DNS or WHOIS changes.

Best Practices for Domain Monitoring

Monitor Variations: Include common misspellings or variations of your domains in monitoring efforts to catch typosquatting and phishing attempts.
Track Global Domains: If your business operates internationally, monitor regional variations of your domain, as attackers may register similar domains in different countries.
Use Domain Locking: Implement domain locking features offered by registrars to prevent unauthorized domain transfers.
Monitor Expiration Dates: Keep track of your domain expiration dates to avoid unintentional lapses, which could lead to your domain being hijacked or taken by malicious actors.