DNSViz is a tool suite for analysis and visualization of Domain Name System (DNS) behavior, including its security extensions (DNSSEC). This tool suite powers the Web-based analysis available at http://dnsviz.net/

• python (2.7.x) - http://www.python.org/

  python 2.7.x is required.

• dnspython (1.11.0 or later) - http://www.dnspython.org/

  dnspython is required. Version 1.10.0 is sufficient if you're not issuing TLSA queries, but more generally version 1.11.0 or greater is required.

• pygraphviz (1.1 or later) - http://pygraphviz.github.io/

  pygraphviz is required for most functionality. dnsviz probe and dnsviz grok (without the -t option) can be used without pygraphviz installed. Version 1.1 or greater is required because of the support for unicode names and HTML-like labels, both of which are utilized in the visual output.

• M2Crypto (0.21.1 or later) - https://github.com/martinpaljak/M2Crypto

  M2Crypto is required if cryptographic validation of signatures and digests is desired (and thus is highly recommended). The current code will display warnings if the cryptographic elements cannot be verified.

  Note that support for the following DNSSEC algorithms is not yet available in stock releases of M2Crypto: 3 (DSA-SHA1), 6 (DSA-NSEC3-SHA1), 12 (GOST R 34.10-2001), 13 (ECDSA Curve P-256 with SHA-256), 14 (ECDSA Curve P-384 with SHA-384). However, the patch included in "contrib/m2crypto.patch" can be applied to M2Crypto 0.21.1 or M2Crypto 0.22.3 to support these algorithms:

  $ patch -p1 < /path/to/dnsviz-source/contrib/m2crypto.patch
  

A typical build and install is performed with the following commands:

$ python setup.py build
$ sudo python setup.py install

To see all installation options, run the following:

$ python setup.py --help

DNSViz is invoked using the dnsviz command-line utility. dnsviz itself uses several subcommands: probe, grok, graph, print, and query. See the man pages associated with each subcommand, in the form of "dnsviz- (1)" (e.g., "man dnsviz-probe") for more detailed documentation and usage.

dnsviz probe takes one or more domain names as input and performs a series of queries to either recursive (default) or authoritative DNS servers, the results of which are serialized into JSON format.

Analyze the domain name example.com using your configured DNS resolvers (i.e., in /etc/resolv.conf) and store the queries and responses in the file named "example.com.json":

$ dnsviz probe example.com > example.com.json

Same thing:

$ dnsviz probe -o example.com.json example.com

Analyze the domain name example.com by querying its authoritative servers directly:

$ dnsviz probe -A -o example.com.json example.com

Analyze the domain name example.com by querying explicitly-defined authoritative servers, rather than learning the servers through referrals from the IANA root servers:

$ dnsviz probe -A \
  -x example.com:a.iana-servers.org=199.43.132.53,a.iana-servers.org=2001:500:8c::53 \
  -x example.com:b.iana-servers.org=199.43.133.53,b.iana-servers.org=2001:500:8d::53 \
  -o example.com.json example.com

Same, but have dnsviz probe resolve the names:

$ dnsviz probe -A \
  -x example.com:a.iana-servers.org,b.iana-servers.org \
  -o example.com.json example.com

Analyze the domain name example.com and its entire ancestry by querying authoritative servers and following delegations, starting at the root:

$ dnsviz probe -A -a . -o example.com.json example.com

Analyze multiple names in parallel (four threads) using explicit recursive resolvers (replace 192.0.1.2 and 2001:db8::1 with legitimate resolver addresses):

$ dnsviz probe -s 192.0.2.1,2001:db8::1 -t 4 -o multiple.json \
  example.com sandia.gov verisignlabs.com dnsviz.net

dnsviz grok takes serialized query results in JSON format (i.e., output from dnsviz probe) as input and assesses specified domain names based on their corresponding content in the input. The output is also serialized into JSON format.

Process the query/response output produced by dnsviz probe, and store the serialized results in a file named "example.com-chk.json":

$ dnsviz grok < example.com.json > example.com-chk.json

Same thing:

$ dnsviz grok -r example.com.json -o example.com-chk.json example.com

Same thing, but with "pretty", formatted JSON:

$ dnsviz grok -p -r example.com.json -o example.com-chk.json

Show only info-level information: descriptions, statuses, warnings, and errors:

$ dnsviz grok -p -l info -r example.com.json -o example.com-chk.json

Show descriptions only if there are related warnings or errors:

$ dnsviz grok -p -l warning -r example.com.json -o example.com-chk.json

Show descriptions only if there are related errors:

$ dnsviz grok -p -l error -r example.com.json -o example.com-chk.json

Add DNSSEC trust anchors to indicate security status of responses.

$ dig +noall +answer . dnskey | awk '$5 % 2 { print $0 }' > tk.txt
$ dnsviz grok -p -l info -t tk.txt -r example.com.json -o example.com-chk.json

Pipe dnsviz probe output directly to dnsviz grok:

$ dnsviz probe example.com | \
      dnsviz grok -p -l info -t tk.txt -o example.com-chk.json

Same thing, but save the raw output (for re-use) along the way:

$ dnsviz probe example.com | tee example.com.json | \
      dnsviz grok -p -l info -t tk.txt -o example.com-chk.json

Assess multiple names at once with error level:

$ dnsviz grok -p -l error -t tk.txt -r multiple.json -o example.com-chk.json

dnsviz graph takes serialized query results in JSON format (i.e., output from dnsviz probe) as input and assesses specified domain names based on their corresponding content in the input. The output is an image file, a dot (directed graph) file, or an HTML file, depending on the options passed.

Process the query/response output produced by dnsviz probe, and produce a graph visually representing the results in a png file named "example.com.png".

$ dnsviz graph -Tpng < example.com.json > example.com.png

Same thing:

$ dnsviz graph -Tpng -o example.com.png example.com < example.com.json

Same thing, but produce interactive HTML format: interactive HTML output in a file named "example.com.html":

$ dnsviz graph -Thtml < example.com.json > example.com.html

Same thing (filename is derived from domain name and output format):

$ dnsviz graph -Thtml -O -r example.com.json

Add DNSSEC trust anchors to the graph:

$ dig +noall +answer . dnskey | awk '$5 % 2 { print $0 }' > tk.txt
$ dnsviz graph -Thtml -O -r example.com.json -t tk.txt

Pipe dnsviz probe output directly to dnsviz graph:

$ dnsviz probe example.com | \
      dnsviz graph -Thtml -O -t tk.txt

Same thing, but save the raw output (for re-use) along the way:

$ dnsviz probe example.com | tee example.com.json | \
      dnsviz graph -Thtml -O -t tk.txt

Process analysis of multiple domain names, creating an image for each name processed:

$ dnsviz graph -Thtml -O -r multiple.json -t tk.txt

Process analysis of multiple domain names, creating a single image for all names.

$ dnsviz graph -Thtml -r multiple.json -t tk.txt > multiple.html

dnsviz print takes serialized query results in JSON format (i.e., output from dnsviz probe) as input and assesses specified domain names based on their corresponding content in the input. The output is textual output suitable for file or terminal display.

Process the query/response output produced by dnsviz probe, and output the results to the terminal:

$ dnsviz print < example.com.json

Add DNSSEC trust anchors to the graph:

$ dig +noall +answer . dnskey | awk '$5 % 2 { print $0 }' > tk.txt
$ dnsviz print -r example.com.json -t tk.txt

Pipe dnsviz probe output directly to dnsviz print:

$ dnsviz probe example.com | \
      dnsviz print -t tk.txt

Same thing, but save the raw output (for re-use) along the way:

$ dnsviz probe example.com | tee example.com.json | \
      dnsviz print -t tk.txt

dnsviz query is a wrapper that couples the functionality of dnsviz probe and dnsviz print into a tool with minimal dig-like usage, used to make analysis queries and return the textual output to terminal or file output in one go.

Analyze the domain name example.com using the first of your configured DNS resolvers (i.e., in /etc/resolv.conf):

$ dnsviz query example.com

Same, but specify a trust anchor:

$ dnsviz query +trusted-key=tk.txt example.com

Analyze example.com through the recurisve resolver at 192.0.2.1:

$ dnsviz query @192.0.2.1 +trusted-key=tk.txt example.com