There are several forms of DNS hijacking, all of which are guarded by MSCprotect.

Rerouting
The simplest form of hijacking is when a user is unknowingly redirected to a different site than the one requested. This occurs after a hacker gains access to DNS records on a server, and modifies them so that paths to the genuine page are redirected, usually to a page which the cybercriminal has created precisely to acquire confidential information from a user.

Hackers gain access either via social engineering or exploitation of Internet routing protocol vulnerabilities, which are not protected due to a lack of two-way authentication. Typically, pharmers will either hack into a DNS server and reroute legitimate URL requests, or poison the Border Gateway Protocol routes and exchange an SSL certificate with the customer. This type of hijacking is difficult to prevent, because administrators monitor only their own DNS records, and have no control over upstream DNS servers. MSCprotect detects attacks within minutes of their occurrence, enabling swift prevention of the problem escalating further.

The MSCprotect Hijacking Monitor takes a snapshot of the entire company's DNS records. MSCprotect's agents constantly monitor the Internet, comparing the corporate snapshots with existing DNS records. If they don't match, an alert is sent to address the problem immediately.

Man in the Middle
DNS Hijacking via a "man in the middle" attack is an extremely intelligent and often undetectable form of network security breach, in which a hacker takes control of communication between two machines. The affected parties are unaware that the communication is vulnerable.

This form of DNS Hijacking is the leading cause of online identity theft. Unsuspecting users give their credentials to websites of trusted brands, unaware that those websites have been compromised. Once armed with users' confidential data, the thieves can steal assets and destroy reputations. MSCprotect's combined monitoring services assists in detecting and alerting to these types of attacks.