Romanian Cyber Security Journal / Spring 2025, No. 1, Vol. 7

Cybersecurity Challenges in Managing Domain Names. From DNS to ENS in the Web3 Era

Adrian-Victor VEVERA, Andreea Cătălina CRĂCIUN, Mihail DUMITRACHE, Ionut SANDU, Carmen-Ionela ROTUNĂ, Radu Alexandru BOSTAN

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Abstract

The Domain Name System (DNS) remains a foundational component of the Internet infrastructure, which is frequently exploited by cybercriminals through increasingly diverse and sophisticated attack vectors. This paper explores the evolving cybersecurity challenges faced by domain name systems (DNSs) and their decentralized counterparts in the Web3 ecosystem, particularly the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), as such, it surveys both the established and novel attack patterns. Furthermore, it explores the implications of decentralized naming systems like the ENS, which introduced novel cybersecurity challenges within the Web3 environments and it highlights the future risks and possible research directions related to the transition to decentralized web services. This study provides a comparative analysis of the cyberattacks targeting the DNS and the ENS, highlighting the evolving threat landscape for each of the two ecosystems. By examining the architectural differences between the DNS and ENS, their common attack vectors, and their security mechanisms, it underscores both the distinct vulnerabilities inherent to each ecosystem and the overlapping risks they share.

Keywords

Cybersecurity, Threats, Cyberattacks, ENS, DNS