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Ensure DNSSEC is enabled for Cloud DNS

Cloud Domain Name System (DNS) is a fast, reliable and cost-effective domain name system that powers millions of domains on the internet. Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in Cloud DNS enables domain owners to take easy steps to protect their domains against DNS hijacking and man-in-the-middle and other attacks.

Category

Controls

Medium

Applies to

Google Cloud

Coverage

null controls, 1 queries

Asset types

1 covered

Overview

Cloud Domain Name System (DNS) is a fast, reliable and cost-effective domain name system that powers millions of domains on the internet. Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in Cloud DNS enables domain owners to take easy steps to protect their domains against DNS hijacking and man-in-the-middle and other attacks.

Rationale

Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) adds security to the DNS protocol by enabling DNS responses to be validated. Having a trustworthy DNS that translates a domain name like www.example.com into its associated IP address is an increasingly important building block of today's web-based applications. Attackers can hijack this process of domain/IP lookup and redirect users to a malicious site through DNS hijacking and man-in-the-middle attacks. DNSSEC helps mitigate the risk of such attacks by cryptographically signing DNS records. As a result, it prevents attackers from issuing fake DNS responses that may misdirect browsers to nefarious websites.

Remediation guidance

From Google Cloud Console

  1. Go to Cloud DNS by visiting https://console.cloud.google.com/netservices/dns/zones.
  2. For each zone of Type Public, set DNSSEC to On.

Using Google Cloud CLI

Use the below command to enable DNSSEC for Cloud DNS Zone Name.

gcloud dns managed-zones update <zoneName> --dnssec-state on

Default value

By default DNSSEC is not enabled.

References

  1. https://cloudplatform.googleblog.com/2017/11/DNSSEC-now-available-in-Cloud-DNS.html
  2. https://cloud.google.com/dns/dnssec-config#enabling
  3. https://cloud.google.com/dns/dnssec

Multiple Remediation Paths

Google Cloud

SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Enforce Organization Policies at org/folder level so new resources inherit secure defaults.

gcloud org-policies set-policy policy.yaml

ASSET-LEVEL: Use the product-specific remediation steps above for only the impacted project/resources.

PREVENTIVE: Use org policy constraints/custom constraints and enforce checks in deployment pipelines.

References for Service-Wide Patterns

  • GCP Organization Policy overview: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/overview
  • GCP Organization policy constraints catalog: https://cloud.google.com/resource-manager/docs/organization-policy/org-policy-constraints
  • gcloud org-policies: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/org-policies

Operational Rollout Workflow

Use this sequence to reduce risk and avoid repeated drift.

1. Contain at Service-Wide Scope First (Recommended)

  • Google Cloud: apply organization policy constraints at org/folder scope.
gcloud org-policies set-policy policy.yaml

2. Remediate Existing Affected Assets

  • Execute the control-specific Console/CLI steps documented above for each flagged resource.
  • Prioritize internet-exposed and production assets first.

3. Validate and Prevent Recurrence

  • Re-scan after each remediation batch.
  • Track exceptions with owner and expiry date.
  • Add preventive checks in IaC/CI pipelines.

Query logic

These are the stored checks tied to this control.

DNSSEC is enabled for Cloud DNS

Connectors

Google Cloud

Covered asset types

ManagedZone

Expected check: eq []

managedZones(where:{dnsSecConfigState_NOT:"on"}){...AssetFragment}
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