WARPIA

The biggest concern for people going online today is security. There are always people out there trying to get hold of our personal information and use it against us in the worst of ways. Any transaction we perform on the internet today be it financial or intellectual, is prone to attacks by hackers who are trying to intercept it thereby compromising the integrity of our entire web experience.

DNS security helps us safeguard against these attacks in a big way. It plays a significant role in ensuring that everything we do on the internet is being done in a safe and secure environment and our information does not fall into the wrong hands. DNS security his highly dependent on DNS records as it is the first step in ensuring that the authenticity of our web experience.

What are DNS Records?

As we know, DNS maps the domain name to the IP address of any given website. This ensures that we are sending our data packets to the server of the website we intend to visit and not some 3^rd party server which may misuse that data. DNS records are basically tables containing mapping files which link each domain to its corresponding IP address and instructs the DNS server (router/external server) on how to react to the request sent to any domain. In a nutshell, DNS records can be thought of as an address directory which helps us connect to the right server related to the domain by correctly identifying the IP address corresponding to that particular domain.

Types of DNS Records

Though there are many types of DNS records, there are few common types which are used for majority of the activities on the internet.

• Start of Authority (SOA)

This record indicates the DNS server with the best source of information for that zone. This DNS server has the authority to make the most changes to the domain or respond to queries. The SOA also contains the email address of the administrator and the configuration information in regards to replication. It also contains the domain serial number which tells the other DNS zones which version of the DNS that server contains.

• Address Mapping Records (A or AAAA)

These are very basic and their function is to convert the domain names into the corresponding IP addresses. They are used for IPv4(A-type) and IPv6(AAAA-type) addresses.

• Canonical Name Record (CNAME)

These records allow the administrator to create an alias record called C Name or Canonical Name. This record points to an A record or AAAA record. So when we resolve a C Name, it returns the corresponding A or AAAA record. Its main use is when the DNS record is not dynamically updated. Moreover, with C Names, we can also change the destination, the C name is pointing to. Thus it saves us a lot of trouble in regards to reconfiguration when things change.

• Service Record (SRV)

These records allow the client to locate services on the network using DNS. They are used by active directory to allow a client to locate a domain controller which makes DNS invaluable in a Windows environment.

• Mail Exchange Record (MX)

These records come into play while sending emails. The email server reads the MX records for the domain to which the email is being sent. Each MX record has a priority. The lower priority MX records are tried first. The domain servers are contacted in order of increasing MX priority.

• Pointer Record (PTR)

This record maps an IP address to a domain name. These can be created automatically by Windows if there is an existing reverse look up zone created.

It is important to note that DNS records can be updated automatically using Dynamic DNS for which we require a DHCP client to work. This saves us the hassle of updating the DNS Records manually which can be very time consuming.

How DNS Records help eliminate false SSL Certificates?

We know that SSL Certificates are of utmost importance in determining the authenticity of a domain. A false SSL certificate would imply that the domain cannot be trusted and any information sent to that domain is not secure and can be used against us. It is, therefore, important to ensure that the SSL certificate of the domain we are visiting is authentic.DNS records help us to do that in a very big way.

In 2013, DNS registration in Certificate Authority Authorization was made standard. This meant that the DNS record would now contain the list of CAs authorized to certify domains with SSL certificates. This limits the 3^rd party authorities from issuing false certificates and helps the DNS record to recognize whether the domain has been certified by a trusted authority or has been accidentally or purposely been issued a false certificate. Furthermore, in a few months, domain owners will be allowed to specify the authorities who are authorized to issue certificates for their domains. Publicly trusted authorities are required to follow a special DNS record for this purpose.

The importance of DNS records is paramount in ensuring that our experience on the web is safe and secure and the exchange of information can be done without any fear of it being used for malicious purposes. This creates confidence within the user to freely access the web.

Entrepreneurship is the word of the day and more and more people are looking into setting up their own business. However, setting up your own business is no small task. The first and foremost obstacle is funding. Gathering up enough money to take the plunge is a big risk. Banks often decline loans if they feel the startup may not succeed. And paying that much out of your pocket is sometimes just not feasible.

In such scenarios, people often turn to grants and government funding as an avenue of recourse. However, contrary to what Television programs and infomercials show you, setting up a new business is a lot more work than you imagined.

No money is ‘free money’
Most of us, when looking for grants, have the notion of getting ‘free money’, i.e, an investment without commitment. However, much like loans, most grants have some kind of conditions attached. For example, in many cases, to get a grant, the applicant themselves have to put up a financial deposit in order to prove their commitment to the project. Another criterion may be a guarantee of more jobs for the community.

The situation, as you can see, is daunting. Small Business Grants Ontario thus provides you with some crucial tips that can make your dream a bit easier to realize.

1. Know your terminology
The term “small business grants” appears rarely on Government websites. This is mostly because pure grants for small business are unusual. However, you can search for terms like “small business financing”, or possible awards, contributions, subsidies, rebates etc to get some help in setting up your business. Strictly speaking, these aren’t grants, but considering you won’t have to pay them back, it works well enough.

2. Know your industry
Some industries have an easier time getting grants. For example, agriculture and food are a priority industry when giving out grants, as are technology, science and R&D. Grants for retail businesses however are notoriously difficult to obtain. Know which industry your business would likely fall in so that you do not waste time applying in the wrong sectors.

3. Using hub sites to search.
Hub sites provided by the Government provide a full list of possible grants available for dispensing, including small grants. Search in these sites to help look for opportunities that may be best for you.

4. Take advantage of the programs that do exist.
Programs like the SR&ED Tax Credit can get you tax benefits which can be termed as ‘free money’. There is no hassle of making a proposal, submitting it, waiting for a review and finally acceptance. You can create your project and simply apply for tax returns. Be sure to follow the rules though.

5. Crowdfund Your Idea
Since we live in an age with modern amenities and technological innovations, one would be remiss in not using these opportunities. Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo deliver the perfect platform for startups to collecting vesting capital. Crowdfunding has recently gained a surge in popularity. However, with the rise in attention, it also means more competition for businesses looking to get funds. Unless you make your business interesting to the general public, it will join the long line of projects that go unfunded.

Starting your own business is a monumental task. But with the right proposals, you can make your life a little bit easier. Getting grants may not be easy, but it is not impossible either. And now, you are better equipped to make the right choices in securing your future.

Our network is always exposed to outside threats from malwares, hackers, phishers, etc. As every connection with the internet starts with a DNS query, a user relies on the DNS to access websites, resources and other applications on the internet, which is why most of the nuisances make use of DNS pathway to break-in to poor user’s network and one can only be so careful.

Once a break-in has happened, a malware can steal personal information, redirect traffic to malicious websites or even control the server. User end security can only do so much as it cannot evolve as fast as the threats out there do and are basically not designed to handle DNS-based malwares. And since DNS hosts individual users as well as enterprises at once, it becomes critical for some to employ a protection means at the DNS itself. That is where a DNS firewall comes into play which is, as the name suggests, a firewall at the DNS end.

Much like a regular firewall, a firewall at the DNS end will also allow legitimate DNS protocol traffic which is, the traffic which abides by the preset filtering rules as set by the DNS, but instead, it will do so for the whole network which it is serving. A properly maintained DNS firewall can block access to the DNS information for malicious hostnames, preventing connections or diverting traffic from an infected computer to a safe server.

Doing so, it also prevents ex-filtration of user’s critical and sensitive information. And the best of all, it is completely customizable, i.e. everything can be controlled by the user, including which sites or domains to block and which to allow nevertheless. Unlike access list ‘hostname.txt’ which was used earlier, in addition to forwarding and denying, a DNS firewall can also pass, drop, reroute, mirror, or even truncate any request to keep the user safe.

All it takes to create a DNS firewall is to list out the malicious hostnames which are then blocked by the server automatically. The vendor ensures constant updates of firewall which in turn can take care of phishing, malvertising, botnets, ransom wares, typo squats and conventional malwares. There is no need for reconfiguration of local networking system as well as it can be installed in any existing network so it becomes enterprise-friendly as workplaces, usually office and corporate set-ups cannot replace hardware frequently and economically.

Despite obvious security advantage, DNS firewall lacks merited usage as a general user is often oblivious to advances of this level and enterprises do not put all their faith in a product all of a sudden. As stated earlier, most of the intrusive activities on the internet happens at the DNS layer, it is time that industries safeguard this vulnerable and ever important component. Also, having a DNS firewall isn’t all, it also takes a smart and alert user. All that is required is that user has all the information necessary to customize the DNS in a safe way and keep a check on DNS updates to keep pace with world-class cybersecurity.

There has been much talk about the needs and benefits of IT management software. Indeed, to ensure best project management and complete control over the entire system and make sure that the deadline is met as well as quality is guaranteed there is nothing better than an IT management system in current world.

However, how would you know if a particular management system will work for your organization as well? Quite similar to any other business product IT management software needs to be tweaked and modified to meet the needs of a particular organization.

There are various factors that affects the efficiency of the management system, such as, the organizational structure, the type of projects, the organizational goals and objectives, the project goals and objective and such others.

To make things simple we will look at a short checklist that will allow you to choose the best IT management software for your organization.

Compatibility

The compatibility of any IT management software will have to be tested on various levels. The first and foremost is the compatibility with the existing system in the organization. Is the management software compatible with your current system? If not, do you need to upgrade your system? Under most circumstance it is best to upgrade the system since clients prefer to work with those organizations that remain updated. If you still feel that your system does not need upgrading then go for a management system that is compatible. Most IT management software developers will provide this service without much extra charge.

Cross platform operation

The purpose of having IT management software is to have centralized control and transparency between all the team members and the executives and project manager at all times. There is no rule that the entire team should be working at one place. The management system might be accessed on any platform. Thus it needs to be compatible across a wide array of devices. To solve this issue most IT management system are built on a web based platform that may be accessed using the Internet connectivity. The management system might be installed in a remote server and can be accessed by the employees of the organization as and when needed.

Scalability

It is extremely important that the IT management software be developed such that the progress is scalable. Without that there is no point in having such software installed. It is important that the project manager be able to track the progress of the entire team and ensure that the project is on route as planned. This calls for scalability.

Simple UI

Even though your team might be made up of technically sound experts there is no point in increasing the complexity of their task without any reason. They will have to fill up the report on a daily basis about the project. A simple UI with organized input area is what needed to make using the system simple and avoid any misunderstanding.

Cost

Even though cost might seem like an important factor, in this case it is the least important among all. While you must stick to your budget, having IT management software that can make project management simpler and easier will save millions in the long run.