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The Windows DNS Server's zone files must have NS records that point to active name servers authoritative for the domain specified in that record.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-259347WDNS-22-000016SV-259347r961863_ruleCCI-000366high
Description
Poorly constructed NS records pose a security risk because they create conditions under which an adversary might be able to provide the missing authoritative name services that are improperly specified in the zone file. The adversary could issue bogus responses to queries that clients would accept because they learned of the adversary's name server from a valid authoritative name server, one that need not be compromised for this attack to be successful. The list of secondary servers must remain current within 72 hours of any changes to the zone architecture that would affect the list of secondaries. If a secondary server has been retired or is not operational but remains on the list, an adversary might have a greater opportunity to impersonate that secondary without detection, rather than if the secondary was online. For example, the adversary may be able to spoof the retired secondary's IP address without an IP address conflict, which would not be likely to occur if the true secondary were active.
STIGDate
Microsoft Windows Server Domain Name System (DNS) Security Technical Implementation Guide2026-02-23

Related Frameworks

1 mapping across 5 frameworks
SCF0 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (8) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

CFG-01Configuration Management Program
1.00
END-01Endpoint Device Management (EDM)
1.00
END-04Malicious Code Protection (Anti-Malware)
1.00
END-06Endpoint File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)
1.00
MON-01Continuous Monitoring
1.00
MON-01.7File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)
1.00
CFG-02Secure Baseline Configurations
0.50
CFG-02.7Approved Configuration Deviations
0.50
NIST 800-530 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 2 hops (100) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

AC-12Session Termination
1.00
AC-16(1)Dynamic Attribute Association
1.00
AC-17(1)Monitoring and Control
1.00
AC-2Account Management
1.00
AC-2(1)Automated System Account Management
1.00
AC-2(11)Usage Conditions
1.00
AC-2(3)Disable Accounts
1.00
AC-2(4)Automated Audit Actions
1.00
AC-24(1)Transmit Access Authorization Information
1.00
AC-25Reference Monitor
1.00

+90 more (top 10 by confidence shown)

NIST 800-1710 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (2) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

3.4.1
1.00
3.4.2
1.00
CCI1 mapping
CCI-000366
1.00
NIST CSF 2.00 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (5) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

DE.CM-09
1.00
PR.PS-01
1.00
PR.DS-10
0.50
PR.PSPlatform Security
0.50
PR.PS-05
0.50

Who does this work

10 NICE work roles and 9 EC-Council certifications.

This is an inference across published mappings, not a single claim by anyone. This check maps to a control, which maps to a Cybersecurity Framework outcome, which NIST assigns to the work roles below. EC-Council separately maps its certifications to those same roles.

A certification prepares someone for a role. It is not evidence that a holder is qualified, and neither NIST nor EC-Council has stated that any certification here addresses this check.

Work-role assignments published by NIST (NICE Framework Components 2.2.0 and the CSF 2.0 OLIR crosswalk). Certification mappings published by EC-Council.

Details

Check Text (C-259347r961863_chk)

Note: This check is not applicable if Windows DNS Server is only serving as a caching server and does not host any zones authoritatively. Log on to the DNS server using the Domain Admin or Enterprise Admin account or Local Administrator account. Press the Windows key + R and execute "dnsmgmt.msc". On the opened DNS Manager snap-in from the left pane, expand the server name for the DNS server and then expand "Forward Lookup Zones". From the expanded list, click to select the zone. Review the NS records for the zone. Verify each of the name servers, represented by the NS records, is active. At a command prompt on any system, type: nslookup <enter>; At the nslookup prompt, type: server ###.###.###.### <enter>; (where the ###.###.###.### is replaced by the IP of each NS record) Enter a FQDN for a known host record in the zone. If the NS server does not respond at all or responds with a nonauthoritative answer, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-62994r939745_fix)

If DNS servers are Active Directory (AD) integrated, troubleshoot and remedy the replication problem where the nonresponsive name server is not being updated. If DNS servers are not AD integrated, log on to the DNS server using the Domain Admin or Enterprise Admin account or Local Administrator account. Press the Windows key + R and execute "dnsmgmt.msc". On the opened DNS Manager snap-in from the left pane, expand the server name for the DNS server, and then expand "Forward Lookup Zones". From the expanded list, click to select the zone. Review the NS records for the zone. Select the NS record for the nonresponsive name server and remove the record.