The SolarWinds cyberattack in December 2020 exposed critical vulnerabilities in DNS records, subdomains, and servers, with the breach active since 2019. Despite threat intelligence reports and engagements with SolarWinds’ CISO, critical vulnerabilities persist even today, leaving thousands of clients exposed.
You Should Know:
1. DNS Security Best Practices
DNS vulnerabilities were a key entry point in the SolarWinds attack. Secure your DNS with:
Check DNS records for misconfigurations dig example.com ANY nslookup -type=any example.com Enable DNSSEC to prevent spoofing sudo dnssec-keygen -a RSASHA256 -b 2048 -n ZONE example.com
2. Subdomain Takeover Prevention
Attackers exploited unclaimed subdomains. Detect vulnerable subdomains with:
Use SubFinder to enumerate subdomains subfinder -d example.com -o subdomains.txt Check for takeover possibilities with SubOver subover -l subdomains.txt -t 100
3. Server Hardening
SolarWinds’ servers were left exposed. Secure Linux servers with:
Disable unnecessary services sudo systemctl disable telnet sudo systemctl stop vsftpd Apply firewall rules sudo ufw enable sudo ufw deny 22/tcp If SSH is not needed
4. Threat Intelligence & Continuous Monitoring
SolarWinds relied on SecurityScorecard and Bitsight but failed to act. Use:
Monitor network traffic with TShark tshark -i eth0 -Y "dns" -w dns_traffic.pcap Check for exposed assets with Nmap nmap -sV --script vuln example.com
5. Log Analysis for Anomalies
Attackers remained undetected for months. Use ELK Stack for log analysis:
Install Filebeat for log shipping sudo apt-get install filebeat sudo filebeat modules enable system sudo systemctl start filebeat
What Undercode Say:
The SolarWinds breach was not just a failure of tools but of execution and accountability. Despite warnings, critical assets remained exposed, proving that cybersecurity is not a one-time fix but a continuous process. Organizations must:
– Audit DNS records regularly.
– Monitor subdomains for hijacking risks.
– Harden servers using CIS benchmarks.
– Act on threat intelligence, not just collect it.
– Automate security checks with tools like OpenVAS and Wazuh.
Prediction:
Without urgent action, another large-scale supply-chain attack targeting DNS and subdomain vulnerabilities is inevitable. Companies relying on outdated security postures will face breaches, regulatory fines, and reputational damage.
Expected Output:
1. DNS misconfigurations detected: 5 2. Vulnerable subdomains found: 3 3. Unpatched services: 2 4. Recommended actions: Enable DNSSEC, reclaim subdomains, patch CVE-2023-1234
Stay vigilant—lightning can strike twice. ⚡
References:
Reported By: Andy Jenkinson – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
