DNS Record Monitoring

Detect suspicious or unauthorized DNS changes and protect your domain.

DNS records are the invisible foundation of your online presence. They translate your domain name into an IP address and direct traffic to your servers. An unauthorized or malicious change can redirect your visitors to a fraudulent site, compromise your emails, or make your site completely inaccessible.

MoniTao monitors your DNS records and alerts you immediately when modifications occur. Whether the change is legitimate (server migration) or suspicious (hijacking attempt), you're informed and can react quickly. DNS monitoring is an often-neglected pillar of web security.

With the rise of DNS hijacking attacks and configuration errors at registrars, not monitoring your DNS is a risk you can't afford. MoniTao gives you the visibility you need over this critical layer of your infrastructure.

Why Monitor Your DNS

The consequences of a DNS problem are often underestimated until it's too late:

  • DNS Hijacking: attackers can modify your records to redirect traffic to a phishing site. Your visitors think they're on your site while giving their credentials to hackers.
  • Domain expiration: if your domain expires without renewal, someone else can register it. You lose not only the domain but all the SEO and reputation associated with it.
  • Configuration errors: a bad manipulation at the registrar can break DNS resolution. Your site becomes inaccessible and your emails stop working.
  • Incomplete propagation: after a legitimate DNS change, propagation can take up to 48h. Monitor that changes propagate correctly everywhere.

DNS Record Types to Monitor

MoniTao can monitor all critical DNS record types:

  • A/AAAA record: points your domain to an IP address (IPv4 for A, IPv6 for AAAA). An unauthorized change redirects your traffic.
  • MX record: defines mail servers. A change can divert all your emails to a third-party server.
  • TXT record: used for SPF, DKIM, and various verifications. A change can impact your email deliverability.
  • CNAME record: alias to another domain. Often used for subdomains pointing to third-party services (CDN, SaaS).

Detailed Guides

Explore our DNS monitoring guides:

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Detect DNS changes

Complete guide to identify and analyze modifications to your records.

DNS Verification via Command Line

Here's how to manually check your DNS records:

# Check A record
dig mysite.com A +short
# Result: 192.0.2.1

# Check MX records
dig mysite.com MX +short
# Result: 10 mail.mysite.com.

# Check TXT records (SPF, DKIM)
dig mysite.com TXT +short
# Result: "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all"

# Check from a specific DNS (Google)
dig @8.8.8.8 mysite.com A +short

# Recommended MoniTao configuration
- Monitor A/AAAA for main domain
- Monitor MX for emails
- Check TXT for SPF/DKIM

These commands are useful for occasional checks. MoniTao automates this monitoring continuously and alerts you as soon as a value changes from the expected one.

DNS Monitoring Features

MoniTao offers complete DNS monitoring:

  • Multi-record: monitor A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME according to your needs. Each record type has its importance.
  • Change alerts: receive a notification as soon as a record value changes. Ideal for detecting unauthorized modifications.
  • Modification history: view the complete history of detected changes. Useful for auditing and diagnostics.
  • Multi-DNS verification: verification from multiple DNS servers to detect propagation issues.

DNS Monitoring Checklist

  • List all critical domains and subdomains
  • Create DNS monitors for A/AAAA records
  • Monitor MX records if you use email
  • Document expected values for each record
  • Configure alerts to the technical team
  • Enable 2FA authentication on registrar account

Frequently Asked Questions - DNS Monitoring

What DNS record types are monitored?

MoniTao can monitor A, AAAA, MX, TXT, and CNAME records. You configure which types to monitor for each domain according to your specific needs.

How long to detect a DNS change?

Detection depends on the check interval you configure. With a 5-minute interval, a change will be detected within a few minutes maximum.

How do I distinguish a legitimate change from an attack?

If you're planning a migration, update the expected value in MoniTao before the change. That way, you'll only receive an alert for unplanned changes.

Does DNS monitoring protect against hijacking?

DNS monitoring allows you to quickly detect hijacking, but not prevent it. To prevent hijacking, enable 2FA authentication on your registrar account and use DNSSEC if available.

Can I monitor subdomains?

Yes, you can create a DNS monitor for each subdomain you want to monitor. This is particularly useful for critical subdomains like mail., api., or www.

How does multi-DNS verification work?

MoniTao can query multiple DNS servers (Google DNS, Cloudflare DNS, etc.) to verify that your records are consistent everywhere and detect propagation issues.

Protect the Foundation of Your Online Presence

DNS is often the forgotten link in monitoring. Yet a DNS problem can have catastrophic consequences: inaccessible site, diverted emails, or worse, your visitors redirected to a phishing site. Don't take this risk.

With MoniTao, monitor your critical DNS records and be alerted immediately when changes occur. It's an essential security layer that complements availability and SSL monitoring.

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