Thales nShield HSM integrated with Infoblox DNS

The Thales nShield hardware security module (HSM) has been integrated with the Infoblox DNS platform to enable the simple and secure deployment of domain name system security extensions (DNSSEC).

The integration addresses common DNSSEC deployment challenges and enables service providers, government departments, financial institutions and other organisations to secure their online identities more easily and protect critical services against cyberthreats.

DNS allows the names of web servers, email addresses and VPNs to be mapped to server IP addresses. The DNSSEC specification enables the owners of these services to sign their domain name records and provide proof of the integrity and validity of their IP addresses. DNSSEC uses strong public key cryptography to reduce the risk of an attacker spoofing DNS records and redirecting traffic to a server they control.

The Infoblox DNSSEC-enabled platform has been designed to simplify IP address management (IPAM), increase reliability of DNS and IP address assignment (DHCP) services and help automate manual and often error-prone network infrastructure-related tasks.

Infoblox IPAM solutions are designed to deliver reliable, manageable and secure DNS services with built-in, automated DNSSEC features, including support for Thales-secured DNSSEC key generation.

When Infoblox systems are used together with a Thales nShield hardware security module (HSM), all cryptographic processing and protection of the critically important signing keys, used to validate the integrity of DNSSEC-protected records, occurs inside a FIPS 140-2 level three certified hardware platform, reducing vulnerability to cache poisoning, man-in-the-middle and other related cyberattacks. Deployment and management of the repetitive, time-sensitive operations required to maintain DNSSEC is also reduced.