Disclaimer: Rivanorth has no association with Vercel, this article is based on a recent engagement where we consulted a client concerned about a potential DNS hijacking.

The investigation started with the client being contacted by someone claiming to be an "ethical hacker" and wanting to disclose a potential DNS vulnerability. This later turned out to be an extortion attempt.

This is how we investigated the issue:

Information Gathering on the Domain and DNS Configuration

We started by gathering all the necessary information about the domain registrar, DNS configuration, and the hosted resources. This provided a clear picture of how the domain was set up and whether any suspicious changes had been made.

Domain Registrar and Hosting Provider Verification

After the information gathering phase, we confirmed that Vercel was both the domain registrar and the hosting provider. Verifying these details helped us ensure that the domain was properly linked to the correct resources and that no unauthorised changes had taken place.

Vercel’s Domain Verification Features

Vercel has a valuable security feature that requires domain owners to verify ownership by adding a TXT record before allowing the domain to point to its resources. This verification process ensures that only authorised users can control the domain, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorised DNS redirection.

By reviewing this, we confirmed that the domain had gone through the correct verification process, and there were no signs of tampering.

Verdict

Vercel effectively mitigates the risk of DNS hijacking and protects domain owners from DNS hijacking attempts. This provides a great solution to a real threat companies face in this day and age.

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As a leading cybersecurity company, we are on the forefront of security research, constantly monitoring for emerging threats. With best in class security expertise, we are able to help you secure your assets to the highest levels.

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