Definition
Flushing DNS to clear any IP addresses or other DNS records from the cache.
How it works
Flushing the DNS Cache will clear the IP addresses of websites you have visited recently. This can help remediate DNS Cache Poisoning attacks, which is a type of cyber attack where corrupted DNS data is inserted into the cache, causing redirects to malicious websites.
On windows, the DNS cache can be wiped by issuing the command `ipconfig /flushdns`.
Implementation perspective
DNS Cache Eviction should be treated as a technical defensive capability rather than a product checkbox. In practice, teams should define the protected scope, the conditions under which the technique acts, and the observable evidence that demonstrates the intended behavior. For this technique, likely engineering context includes the relevant system, activity, and evidence sources.
Use the technique to remove adversary access, malicious objects, processes, credentials, or persistence from the defended environment.
Questions to ask
- What evidence or decision threshold authorizes eviction?
- Which sessions, credentials, processes, objects, or dependencies must be removed together?
- How is business impact controlled while preventing the adversary from retaining access?
- What validation confirms that persistence and alternate access paths no longer remain?
Evidence and validation
- Approved containment and eviction procedures
- Case records showing the trigger, authorization, and actions taken
- Credential, session, object, or process invalidation records
- Post-action scans and monitoring showing that access did not recur
Common failure patterns
- Visible symptoms are removed while credentials, persistence, or alternate paths remain.
- Eviction begins before the scope is understood and causes the adversary to change behavior prematurely.
- Recovery and business restoration occur without post-eviction validation.
This implementation perspective is original Bare Metal Cyber educational content. It does not replace the official D3FEND definition or establish that a specific product implements the technique.
Technique hierarchy
Top-level family
Parent techniques
Direct child techniques
None listed at this level.
Artifacts and ontology entities
These relationships describe how D3FEND connects a defensive technique to artifacts or other ontology entities. They describe graph semantics, not a product certification.
Explicit technique relationships
Authoritative sources
- Open this technique on the official D3FEND website ↗
- Open the official ontology resources ↗
- Eviction Guidance for Networks Affected by the SolarWinds and Active Directory/M365 Compromise ↗CISA · InternetArticleReference
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