The Windows DNS debug log contains valuable information on DNS queries and activity that is especially useful for monitoring and analyzing malicious traffic. This requires some configuration changes for the DNS service in order to enable debug logging. Here is a short description on how to enable debug logging for the DNS service on windows, this also applies to Windows Server 2008 and later. It is possible to specify the file and path name of the DNS debug log file as well as the maximum size of the file.

It goes without saying that across your business infrastructure, there should be a commitment to protect not only the hardware and software assets, but the plethora of data that is transmitted through and stored in it. However, to successfully safeguard such data, it is imperative to have an effective audit policy in place that includes the collection of security events as its essential component. Windows provides a wealth of security logs that are visible in the built-in Security channel of Event Viewer.

Unquestionably, Microsoft Windows is the number one desktop operating system in the world, as well as having a significant share of the server operating system market. Multi-million-dollar organizations rely heavily on Windows Server and Active Directory to provide a safe, secure networked environment for their business operations. Such an enterprise infrastructure alone can generate thousands of events per second that range anywhere from benign user authentication events to logs indicating a severe software failure, or even more serious events such as DoS attacks or intrusion attempts.

Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 3 of our DNS Log Collection series, in case you missed them. DNS Log Collection on Windows If you need to reduce the cost of DNS security and increase efficiency through centralizing DNS log collection, where would you start? Answering this question requires knowledge and awareness of the challenges and opportunities available on the Windows platform. While Windows DNS server is a common technology serving many types of organizations, from local domains to large multi-site enterprises, the possibilities are not necessarily that well-known within the context of comprehensive, site-wide log collection.