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Thread: HEADS UP: Access to caching DNS servers to be restricted




HEADS UP: Access to caching DNS servers to be restricted
user name
2006-05-25 21:22:38
Apologies in advance for the cross-posting.  It's important
that we get 
the word out.

Beginning July 1, 2006, IST will be restricting access to
the main 
campus caching DNS servers, ns1.berkeley.edu (128.32.136.9, 
128.32.206.9) and ns2.berkeley.edu (128.32.136.12,
128.32.206.12) to 
CAMPUS IP ADDRESSES ONLY.  The details and reasons behind
this action 
are explained at the following web pages:

http://ne
t.berkeley.edu/DNS/recursion.shtml

and

ht
tp://net.berkeley.edu/DNS/recursion-detail.shtml

These pages will be linked from the DNS page on the CNS Data
Services 
web page by the end of the day.

Unfortunately, open caching DNS servers are being exploited
in 
generating amplified distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)
attacks, some 
of which have exceeded 4gb/s in sustained bandwidth received
by the 
victim.  Much of the talk in the community of DNS server
operators and 
network engineers is that we should begin treating these
servers in a 
manner similar to open mail relays: caching nameservers
should never be 
open to the world by default and such open servers represent
a threat to 
the entire Internet.

The changes we plan to make will cause problems to those who
use 
non-campus ISPs at home *and* hard-code campus nameserver
information in 
their home computer's configuration.  Solutions for this
issue are 
included in the first document.  On-campus users, or users
who dial in 
to campus, have T1 or fiber access to the campus network (or
generally 
use campus IP address space, a list of which is linked in
the first 
document) will not be affected.

A number of universities similar to UCB have imposed the
same 
restrictions in recent months and have reported that their
users were 
able to cope well with the changes.  Currently, the
University of 
Oregon, UCLA, and University of Virginia (among many
others), and many 
ISPs restrict access to their caching nameservers in the
same way that 
we will be restricting access.

Please write back to me if you have any questions/comments.

michael

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