Akamai Enhances Hybrid DNS Security with Shield NS53

Akamai Technologies, the cloud company working for safeguarding online experiences, unveiled Akamai Shield NS53. This product defends on-premises Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure from resource exhaustion attacks, which inundate servers until they can no longer handle legitimate DNS queries. Akamai Shield NS53 supplements Akamai Edge DNS, a comprehensive cloud-based DNS solution, and Akamai Prolexic, the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection platform against Layer 3 and Layer 4 attacks.

In the last three years, there has been a notable rise in both the frequency and magnitude of DDoS attacks targeting DNS infrastructure. In the fourth quarter of 2023, over 60% of the DDoS attacks mitigated by Akamai included a DNS element, underscoring the critical importance of ensuring the security, availability, and reliability of vital DNS infrastructure for organizations in digital infrastructure security. The downtime of a business or institution's DNS infrastructure results in a corresponding loss of its online presence, leading to reputational harm and financial repercussions.

“Akamai recognizes the security challenges faced by our customers and our partners in a rapidly evolving threat landscape, and we focus on offering robust DDoS protection for all key entry points to their digital infrastructure, whether on-prem, in cloud, or hybrid,” said Sean Lyons, SVP and GM of Infrastructure Security at Akamai. “Organizations are looking for a better way to manage the increasing volume of DNS/DDoS attacks they face every year. With the launch of Shield NS53, customers will receive better services."

Akamai handles over 11 trillion DNS requests every day and observes that approximately 40% of DNS queries from the top 50 financial services customers are unauthorized NXDOMAIN queries, commonly referred to as DNS resource exhaustion attacks. With the introduction of Akamai Shield NS53, security providers can manage their on-prem and hybrid DNS infrastructure against such threats. This solution offers customers:

●   Functioning as a barrier against cyber threats, Akamai Shield NS53 intercepts unauthorized DNS queries at the edge of Akamai's network. It distinguishes between illegitimate and legitimate queries, responding to the latter by either retrieving data from the cache or forwarding them to the customer's primary DNS server. This process enhances the security, availability, and performance of the DNS infrastructure.

●   Akamai assists customers in creating tailored DNS security policies, which they can self-configure through the Akamai Control Center or APIs. It will supposedly provide control over their dynamic policy settings and data, and help with enforcing policies in real-time.

●   Performance and return on investment (ROI) of current DNS infrastructure, Shield NS53 functions as a bidirectional proxy service. It diminishes latency and enhances user experience. Furthermore, Shield NS53 streamlines the total cost of ownership and ROI for customers' investments in their existing on-premises or hybrid DNS infrastructure.

Utilizing its global partner network and experience in on-premises enterprise infrastructure security, Akamai is aiding customers in adopting Akamai Shield NS53. This new solution is accessible through Akamai's strategic partners in North America and other authorized partners worldwide.