14 DAY TRIAL // DNS servers have never been renowned for their top notch security system and this is an ongoing fact for years now. But, as seen on eWeek, security experts don't actually give a damn, saying that there are far more important things these days.
Now, for those of us that are not so fond of techie stuff, DNS stands for Domain Name System. What does it actually do, you ask? Well, when you type www.someadress.com and you get to the desired website that was all the DNS' work. Every website has an Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to it, this address being formed of numbers and dots that are really difficult to remember by heart. So, what DNS does is to "translate" a simple link into an IP for your browser. Without DNS, instead of simple website names you would have to type those numbers.
So, what could happen, say? hackers launch an attack against DNS servers? Well, it would affect this service, practically misdirecting users. Imagine what would happen if you wanted to access the same news site you access daily, but after inserting the websites' name, your browser would take you to a malware filled site.
One smart tactic that hackers have used before, named "site-clone", could also be used in combination with hacking a DNS server. A site-clone is a page that looks identical to another one, but does not have the same functions. For example, it may look like your college's site, but when you try to log in, nothing will happen. At least, nothing that YOU will notice - a hacker could easily phish data this way. So, imagine the full picture: you want to enter one site, and yet the link takes you to its clone, where your account details or other personal information could be phished.