DNS: Domain Name System in Cybersecurity

Networking
ByDecipherU Editorial
How is it pronounced?
dee-en-ess

DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses. It acts as the internet's phone book and is critical infrastructure for all networked services.

How DNS Is Used in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity teams monitor DNS queries for signs of data exfiltration, domain generation algorithms, and command-and-control traffic. Threat intelligence analysts track malicious domains through passive DNS data. Security engineers deploy DNS filtering and DNSSEC to block threats at the network layer.

Read the full glossary entry: DNS in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Roles That Work with DNS

Related Cybersecurity Acronyms

Frequently asked questions

What does DNS stand for?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses. It acts as the internet's phone book and is critical infrastructure for all networked services.

What is DNS used for in cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity teams monitor DNS queries for signs of data exfiltration, domain generation algorithms, and command-and-control traffic. Threat intelligence analysts track malicious domains through passive DNS data. Security engineers deploy DNS filtering and DNSSEC to block threats at the network layer.

Last verified: April 2026?Report an inaccuracy