The DNS (Domain Name System) is what is used to translate domain names into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. The IP addresses are the numeric locations that computers recognize, and the domain names are the easier to recognize website names that Internet surfers will recognize.

Domain Name System Poisoning
One of the most common DNS server problems is something called domain name poisoning. This is usually accomplished when a malicious person attempts to take advantage of a flow in a DNS service. One of the affects of cache poisoning would be when an attacker of a DNS system replaces certain IP addresses that exist with ones from a server controlled by that attacker. During this process the victims of this particular DNS attack may contract viruses that are infiltrated onto their computer.

Variations Of DNS Poisoning
Domain Name Server system poisoning is performed in a variety of ways. For instance, sometimes this particular type of DNS corruption is caused by the redirecting of a malicious domain to one that is legitimate. Then, the attacker of the targeted legitimate domain would assign a “new” fraudulent IP address to that particular domain. A second variation of poisoning a Domain Name System Server cache would be to redirect name server records of the “victim” domain target. This particular redirect would be to an IP address assigned by a malicious DNS server operator (a.k.a. person committing internet fraud).

Another way that a DNS cache can be poisoned is when an operator of a malicious domain name server responds before a legitimate domain name server. The legitimate DNS server will accept communication from the corrupt DNS server as being valid.
Cache poisoning is a somewhat complex problem in most people’s eyes. Nevertheless, it is very important for both web surfers and webmasters to be aware of it.

How To Prevent DNS Cache Poisoning
The most important form of prevention against DNS attack is for servers to not be fully trusting of all the messages received from other DNS servers. Additionally, there is a way that a public DNS serve check can be made, although this also should be done with caution as well. Legitimate DNS servers also are advised to ignore any irrelevant DNS query information. Along with that, there are quite a few different types of tools that are being implemented to protect servers against malicious DNS attacks. Examples of DNS protection tools include BIND and DNSSEC. These help block attacks and reduce the possibility of DNS corruption.

Additional Common Dns Server Problems
Sometimes there may be a variety of other DNS problems that need to be addressed besides that of a poisoned cache. For instance, sometimes name servers will experience a message which is displayed to an internet user. This message usually reads something like “cannot find server” or “dns error”. If this message appears it is usually wise for a person to contact the ISP or web host for additional help. There may be a logical explanation for the fact that an error message would appear. One of these would possibly be that when a DNS search had been performed the wrong search protocol may have been used. There may be several configuration problems that could exist. More information is usually provided about this at the website of different computer operating systems.