About this episode
Big thank you to Infoblox for sponsoring this video. To learn more about Infoblox please visit: https://www.infoblox.com/
Do you know the difference between encrypted DNS and secure DNS? DNS veteran Cricket Liu, author of DNS and Bind, joins David Bombal to break down common misconceptions, explain the crucial distinction between security and privacy; and outline a massive update to the NIST Secure DNS Deployment Guide (SP 800-81). If you run a network, you cannot afford to ignore this control point.
Detailed Breakdown:
DNS is the Achilles' heel of internet infrastructure. While newer protocols like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) solve the cleartext privacy problem, they do not stop malware, phishing, or data exfiltration. In fact, attackers are now using encrypted DNS against us.
In this deep-dive interview, Cricket Liu explains how DNS security must evolve beyond simple encryption to include Protective DNS (PDNS) using Response Policy Zones (RPZ). Learn how to turn your existing DNS infrastructure into a low-cost, high-efficiency control point that blocks malicious C2 rendezvous, phishing links, and DNS tunneling automatically.
We also tackle the DNSSEC confusion head-on. Cricket clarifies exactly why DNSSEC is about validation and integrity, not encryption, and discusses the looming threat of quantum computing on modern cryptographic standards. Finally, we discuss real-world attack vectors, including a wild story about a dangling CNAME record on CDC.gov that was hijacked to game search engine rankings, and how the updated NIST guide shifts focus from just network administrators to security practitioners.
// Links to documents //
NIST SP 800-81: https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Spe...
Inflox Q&A on NIST SP 800-81:
https://www.infoblox.com/blog/securit...
// Cricket Liu’s SOCIAL //
LinkedIn: / cricketliu
// Renee Burton’s SOCIAL //
LinkedIn: / ren%c3%a9e-burton-b7161110b
Blog Posts: https://www.infoblox.com/blog/author/...
// Infoblox SOCIAL //
LinkedIn: / infoblox
Website: https://www.infoblox.com/
// Books by Cricket //
DNS on Windows Server 2003: Mastering the Domain Name
US: https://amzn.to/4byNAtQ
UK: https://amzn.to/4rjqgoz
DNS & BIND Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for System Administrators 1st Edition
US: https://amzn.to/40iZPob
UK: https://amzn.to/3Nk2MBM
DNS and BIND on IPv6: DNS for the Next-Generation Internet 1st Edition
US: https://amzn.to/3MXly1Y
UK: https://amzn.to/4s2SFRe
Learning CoreDNS: Configuring DNS for Cloud Native Environments 1st Edition
US: https://amzn.to/4sC4GwS
UK: https://amzn.to/4ro0T59
DNS & Bind 4th Edition:
US: https://amzn.to/4s8WaWm
UK: https://amzn.to/4sztLbB
// Website REFERENCE //
Nist: https://www.nist.gov/
Secure Domain Name System Deployment Guide: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news...
// David's SOCIAL //
Discord: discord.com/invite/usKSyzb
Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbombal
Instagram: www.instagram.com/davidbombal
LinkedIn: ww
