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<div class="date">May 15, 2009 <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/t/authentication-and-authorization/google-blames-dns-insecurity-web-site-defacements-722">http://www.infoworld.com/t/authentication-and-authorization/google-blames-dns-insecurity-web-site-defacements-722</a><br>
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<h1>Google blames DNS insecurity for Web site defacements</h1>
<h2>Traffic to Google sites in Uganda, Morocco and Kenya was disrupted this week</h2>
<div class="byline">By Rebecca Wanjiku <span>|</span> Computerworld Kenya</div>
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<p>Domain Name System (DNS) insecurity caused the defacing of Google
Web sites in Uganda and Morocco, according to a Google spokesperson.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, both Google Uganda and Google Morocco were redirecting traffic to different sites. </p><p><b>[ Learn how to secure your systems with Roger Grimes' <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/blogs/roger-grimes?source=fssr">Security Adviser blog</a> and <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/newsletters/subscribe?showlist=infoworld_sec_rpt&source=fssr">Security Central newsletter</a>, both from InfoWorld. ]</b></p>
<p>"Google was not hacked, the problem occurred at the DNS level where
someone redirected the Internet Protocol to other sites. We contacted
the registry managers in Uganda and Morocco about the DNS attack," said
Jay Nancarrow, Google Global Communications Public Affairs officer.</p>
<p>"Yes, someone got hold of the DNS and interrupted service by
redirecting [the] Google Web site and a few other Web sites," said
Charles Musisi, managing director of Computer Frontiers, the operators
of the .ug domain registry.</p>
<p>Google services in Kenya were also temporarily disrupted, though
Nancarrow said the cause of disruption is yet to be identified. </p>
<p>The Google interruption has led to debate about whether Internet
service providers and registry operators were monitoring the security
threats posed by hackers and other malicious attackers. </p>
<p>"Issues of DNS cache poisoning are common in East Africa. ISPs do
not take security seriously, which makes it easier for malicious
hackers," said Tyrus Kamau, a network security consultant.</p>
<p>John Gichuki, a security expert who has helped set up security
safeguards for companies in East Africa, says that the level of
security depends on the security policies set by the information
security department in an organization. </p>
<p>"ISPs should have security assessments done; physical and
operational security; they should be in a position to monitor traffic
going through their routers and servers," said Gichuki.</p>