Big thank you to Infoblox for sponsoring this video. To learn more about Infoblox please visit: https://www.infoblox.com/ Do you know the difference between encrypted DNS and secure DNS? DNS veteran Cricket Liu, author of DNS and Bind, joins David Bombal to break down common misconceptions, explain the crucial distinction between security and privacy; and outline a massive update to the NIST Secure DNS Deployment Guide (SP 800-81). If you run a network, you cannot afford to ignore this control point. Detailed Breakdown: DNS is the Achilles' heel of internet infrastructure. While newer protocols like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT) solve the cleartext privacy problem, they do not stop malware, phishing, or data exfiltration. In fact, attackers are now using encrypted DNS against us. In this deep-dive interview, Cricket Liu explains how DNS security must evolve beyond simple encryption to include Protective DNS (PDNS) using Response Policy Zones (RPZ). Learn how to turn your existing DNS infrastructure into a low-cost, high-efficiency control point that blocks malicious C2 rendezvous, phishing links, and DNS tunneling automatically. We also tackle the DNSSEC confusion head-on. Cricket clarifies exactly why DNSSEC is about validation and integrity, not encryption, and discusses the looming threat of quantum computing on modern cryptographic standards. Finally, we discuss real-world attack vectors, including a wild story about a dangling CNAME record on CDC.gov that was hijacked to game search engine rankings, and how the updated NIST guide shifts focus from just network administrators to security practitioners. // Links to documents // NIST SP 800-81: https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-81r3.ipd.pdf Inflox Q&A on NIST SP 800-81: https://www.infoblox.com/blog/security/what-is-nist-sp-800-81-a-complete-faq-on-the-latest-draft-of-nist-secure-dns-deployment-guide/ // Cricket Liu’s SOCIAL // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cricketliu/ // Renee Burton’s SOCIAL // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ren%C3%A9e-burton-b7161110b/ Blog Posts: https://www.infoblox.com/blog/author/renee-burton/ // Infoblox SOCIAL // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoblox/ Website: https://www.infoblox.com/ // Books by Cricket // DNS on Windows Server 2003: Mastering the Domain Name US: https://amzn.to/4byNAtQ UK: https://amzn.to/4rjqgoz DNS & BIND Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for System Administrators 1st Edition US: https://amzn.to/40iZPob UK: https://amzn.to/3Nk2MBM DNS and BIND on IPv6: DNS for the Next-Generation Internet 1st Edition US: https://amzn.to/3MXly1Y UK: https://amzn.to/4s2SFRe Learning CoreDNS: Configuring DNS for Cloud Native Environments 1st Edition US: https://amzn.to/4sC4GwS UK: https://amzn.to/4ro0T59 DNS & Bind 4th Edition: US: https://amzn.to/4s8WaWm UK: https://amzn.to/4sztLbB // Website REFERENCE // Nist: https://www.nist.gov/ Secure Domain Name System Deployment Guide: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2025/04/secure-domain-name-system-dns-deployment-guide-comment-nist-sp-800-81r3 // David's SOCIAL // Discord: https://discord.com/invite/usKSyzb X: https://www.twitter.com/davidbombal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidbombal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbombal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidbombal.co TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@davidbombal YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@davidbombal Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3f6k6gERfuriI96efWWLQQ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/davidbombal Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-bombal/id1466865532 // MY STUFF // https://www.amazon.com/shop/davidbombal // SPONSORS // Interested in sponsoring my videos? Reach out to my team here: sponsors@davidbombal.com // MENU // 0:00 - Coming up 01:19 - Sponsored video disclaimer 01:45 - Cricket Liu books and introduction 07:06 - The problems of DNS 10:33 - DNS security 13:51 - How protective DNS works 16:26 - The DNS Deployment Guide by NIST 22:00 - How protective DNS stops malware and malicious sites 23:48 - Pros and Cons of encrypted DNS 32:29 - Quantum computing and DNS 33:47 - DNS Sec is not encryption 36:18 - Validating data 40:04 - Protecting DNS 49:21 - Lessons learned // Story time 52:54 - Why the DNS Deployment Guide matters 55:30 - Top 3 things to protect your organization/business from cyber attacks 56:56 - Conclusion Please note that links listed may be affiliate links and provide me with a small percentage/kickback should you use them to purchase any of the items listed or recommended. Thank you for supporting me and this channel! Disclaimer: This video is for educational purposes only. #dns #dnssec #cybersecurity