What is a DNS zone transfer?

The correct answer is A. Bulk transfer of DNS records for a domain from your DNS server to another host upon request. A DNS zone transfer (formally the AXFR query type) is a mechanism by which a secondary DNS server replicates all DNS records for a zone from a primary (authoritative) DNS server. This is a legitimate administrative function used to keep redundant DNS servers synchronized…

Reconnaissance, Scanning, and Enumeration

Question

Options

ABulk transfer of DNS records for a domain from your DNS server to another host upon request
BChanging the registered region in which your DNS server is allowed to operate
CSwitching zone preferences between two DNS servers
DTurning a DNS server from an internal server to an external server, or the other way around

How the community answered

(27 responses)

A
93% (25)
C
4% (1)
D
4% (1)

Explanation

A DNS zone transfer (formally the AXFR query type) is a mechanism by which a secondary DNS server replicates all DNS records for a zone from a primary (authoritative) DNS server. This is a legitimate administrative function used to keep redundant DNS servers synchronized. However, it is also a well-known reconnaissance technique - if a DNS server is misconfigured to allow zone transfers from any host, an attacker can request a full dump of all DNS records (hostnames, IP addresses, mail servers, etc.) for a domain, providing a detailed map of the network's internal structure. Properly secured DNS servers restrict zone transfers to authorized secondary servers only. The other choices describe fictional or unrelated DNS concepts.

Topics

#DNS zone transfer#DNS enumeration#DNS records#information disclosure

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