For security operations center (SOC) teams and managed security service providers (MSSPs), the real challenge isn’t just responding to incidents but intercepting threats before they escalate. Attacks typically begin quietly, making early detection critical.
At MSSP Alert Live, Chris Usserman, Global Public Sector chief technology officer at Infoblox, urged a shift: make Protective DNS central to cyber defense. His point was clear—prevention, not addition of more reactive tools, stops attacks before incident cleanup begins.
DNS, when fortified with predictive threat intelligence, enables MSSPs to intercept threats earlier and at scale, making it essential for preemptive protection.
What Protective DNS Does
Protective DNS applies a security policy during the DNS resolution process. When a device asks, “Where is this domain?” the DNS layer becomes a decision point. If the destination looks risky, the lookup is blocked—the device never connects.
Traditional DNS resolves any domain (malicious or legitimate) with equal efficiency. It doesn’t ask “Should I honor this request even though the destination is known to be bad?” Protective DNS acts as a guardrail, creating DNS telemetry you can log, triage and investigate. Combined with predictive threat intelligence, you’re not just blocking known threats, you’re acting on active attacks earlier with better context.
Why DNS Offers High-Leverage Control
Chris challenged the “more tools equal more security” assumption. Despite massive investments in endpoint detection and response (EDR), extended detection and response (XDR) and firewalls, attackers still breach defenses. These controls matter, but they often act too late, after attackers have gained momentum.
DNS gives you an early intervention point. Most attacks require outbound communication, such as loading phishing pages, downloading payloads or connecting to control-and-command (C2) servers. Block that destination at the DNS layer, and you stop the chain before it builds. Fewer successful connections mean fewer alerts and simpler investigations.
DNS as the First Major Obstacle
Chris described a familiar phishing scenario: a PDF invoice arrives, triggers scripting and bypasses multiple defenses. Eventually, the malware must communicate, typically via a C2 channel, for instructions or additional tools.
DNS becomes decisive here. If the compromised host can’t resolve the required domain, the connection fails. That’s what “block at the DNS layer” means: removing the attacker’s ability to reach their destination.
Chris also noted that some malware actively hunts for security tools and disables them while maintaining “healthy” appearances. Endpoint-only controls become vulnerable. Protective DNS operates outside the endpoint, so attackers must still use it to access the internet.
DNS Telemetry for Faster Incident Response
When incidents occur, responders need fast answers: Which systems contacted the attacker’s infrastructure? When? What else did the host do?
After major campaigns are uncovered, organizations routinely review DNS logs to determine if they have connected to newly identified infrastructure. DNS telemetry provides early indicators of compromise (IoCs): what was requested, when, how often and what followed. This enables rapid triage and scoping. You instantly see if other hosts made similar requests.
Chris emphasized threat attribution, which involves tying DNS events to specific assets and their owners. This makes containment a decisive rather than a guesswork approach.
Beyond Domain Reputation
Chris was direct about the limitations of reputation feeds. Most require “patient zero”—someone gets compromised before the domain is flagged. That’s inherently reactive.
New domains appear constantly. Threat actors register and quickly abandon their infrastructure. Adding lookalike domains and pure blocklist approaches becomes unrealistic.
Pairing Protective DNS with predictive threat intelligence addresses this gap. Instead of waiting for reputation to “age in,” use earlier signals, such as newly observed domains and rapidly changing infrastructure, to make better decisions sooner.
DNS as a Channel for Exfiltration
Chris reminded attendees that DNS isn’t just a phone book—it’s a channel. Attackers hide data in queries and exfiltrate incrementally.
DNS is observable. Patterns such as repeated lookups to uncommon domains, abnormal query volumes or unusual timing are strong indicators for investigation.
Protective DNS and telemetry help identify these signals early, enabling faster containment.
Integrating Protective DNS into MSSP Services
Chris’s advice for MSSPs follows a managed-service playbook:
Position It as Prevention: Frame Protective DNS as baseline defense against phishing and malware, blocking attacks before they develop and reducing incidents requiring deep response.
Operationalize the Investigation: Treat DNS logs and telemetry as first-class data for incident response, enabling quick scoping, IoC hunts and early compromise indicators.
Alert the Ecosystem: Integrate DNS context into the broader security stack, including security information and event management (SIEM) and XDR, so that DNS-layer events appear alongside endpoint and network signals in unified investigations.
Call to Action
MSSP leaders and SOC managers should position Protective DNS strategically. Even strong endpoint and network controls benefit when DNS-layer policy provides the earliest threat interception and creates high-quality IoCs for faster investigations.
Start by mapping your incident response flow. Ask: Where do you already rely on DNS logs? How quickly could you block suspicious destinations at the DNS layer? How could predictive threat intelligence help you act earlier on brand-new attacker infrastructure?
Want to learn more? Explore DNS-layer defense and practical use cases at https://www.infoblox.com/blog/. For deeper insights into DNS-driven threat research and intelligence, visit the Infoblox Threat Intel page at https://www.infoblox.com/threat-intel/ to see how real-world threat actor tracking translates into actionable indicators for strengthening your defenses.
