312-50V9 · Question #541
Tess King is using the nslookup command to craft queries to list all DNS information (such as Name Servers, host names, MX records, CNAME records, glue records (delegation for child Domains), zone…
The correct answer is B. A zone transfer. Tess King is using nslookup to retrieve all DNS records for a domain, which is the definition of a DNS zone transfer. This technique copies all zone data from a DNS server, exposing the full DNS infrastructure.
Question
Tess King is using the nslookup command to craft queries to list all DNS information (such as Name Servers, host names, MX records, CNAME records, glue records (delegation for child Domains), zone serial number, TimeToLive (TTL) records, etc) for a Domain. What do you think Tess King is trying to accomplish? Select the best answer.
Options
- AA zone harvesting
- BA zone transfer
- CA zone update
- DA zone estimate
How the community answered
(49 responses)- A4% (2)
- B92% (45)
- C2% (1)
- D2% (1)
Why each option
Tess King is using nslookup to retrieve all DNS records for a domain, which is the definition of a DNS zone transfer. This technique copies all zone data from a DNS server, exposing the full DNS infrastructure.
Zone harvesting is not a standard DNS term - the correct term for querying all DNS records from a server is zone transfer.
A zone transfer (AXFR) is the mechanism for replicating all DNS records from a name server, including NS, MX, CNAME, SOA, TTL, and glue records. Using nslookup with the 'ls -d' or 'ls -t' options triggers this request against the target domain. Attackers use unauthorized zone transfers to map out a target's entire DNS infrastructure for reconnaissance.
A zone update refers to modifying or synchronizing DNS record changes, not querying and retrieving all existing records.
Zone estimate is not a recognized DNS operation or terminology in any DNS standard or protocol.
Concept tested: DNS zone transfer reconnaissance using nslookup
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/dns/manage/zone-transfers
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