Credit: WhataWin / Getty Images A number of flaws in the software that is used to administer the Internet’s domain name system (DNS) has been discovered by researchers at Finland’s University of Oulu.The vulnerabilities could be exploited to “cause a variety of outcomes,” including crashing the DNS server or possibly providing attackers with a way to run unauthorized software, according to an advisory, posted Wednesday by the United Kingdom’s National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre.Oulu researchers have created a DNS test suite that can be used to test for these vulnerabilities, and a number of DNS software providers, including Juniper Networks and the Internet Software Consortium, have confirmed that some of their products are vulnerable.The bug found in the Internet Software Consortium’s Berkeley Internet Name Domain software is “not considered high-risk,” the group said. Hitachi and Wind River Systems have said their products are not affected. Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Sun Microsystems are testing their products and could not immediately say whether customers would be affected.Collectively, the world’s DNS servers manage the Internet’s system for converting easy-to-remember Internet addresses, such as Google.com, into the unique IP addresses used by machines. These servers have come under increasing scrutiny because recent attacks have shown how the DNS system could potentially be compromised to bring down a large number of websites. Last month, VeriSign revealed that unknown attackers had used compromised computers and DNS servers to launch a denial-of-service attack against about 1,500 organizations.Shortly after that attack was publicized, hackers attacked DNS servers at Network Solutions and Joker.com, a domain-name registrar based in Germany. Both of these events ended up disrupting service to customers.More information, including a list of vendor comments on these latest vulnerabilities can be found online.-Robert McMillan, IDG News ServiceFor related news coverage, read New VoIP Phishing Scheme ID’d, Blocked by Cloudmark. Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Zero-trust: Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Your Print Environment By Canon Business Solutions Jun 07, 2023 5 mins Zero Trust news Salesforce CEO Benioff shakes up executive team with new hires Six months after the company lost its co-CEO and announced it was laying off 10% of its global workforce, Salesforce’s top team is undergoing a major personnel change. By Charlotte Trueman Jun 07, 2023 3 mins Technology Industry Enterprise Applications opinion Cisco debuts bold portfolio of network, security, and observability solutions and previews generative AI capabilities for Webex and Security Cloud Cisco’s innovative technologies help connect the dots of its network- and cloud-based ecosystem. By Pete Bartolik Jun 07, 2023 4 mins Cloud Security brandpost Help wanted: IT tools and talent for building a multicloud estate Like all trade workers, IT leaders need the right tools and skills to succeed in a multicloud world characterized by application and data sprawl. By Chad Dunn, Vice President, Product Management, Dell APEX Jun 07, 2023 6 mins Multi Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe