dig

Zone Transfers with the dig Command on Linux

Zone transfers are typically the result of DNS server misconfigurations. There are several tools available to perform zone transfers, and in this guide, we will focus on using the dig and host commands in Linux.

Using the dig Command

The dig command is a powerful tool for DNS querying in Linux. Below, we will look at how to perform various DNS queries and zone transfers using the dig command:

General DNS Queries

1. Standard Query

   dig target.com

2. Short Format Query

   dig target.com +short

3. PTR Record Query

   dig target.com PTR

4. MX Record Query

   dig target.com MX

5. NS Record Query

   dig target.com NS

Zone Transfer Queries

Zone transfers, especially on misconfigured DNS servers, can be performed using the following techniques:

1. Standard Zone Transfer

   dig [e-mail] target.com

2. Zone Transfer with Specific Options

   dig domain.com AXFR +noall +answer
   # or
   dig +nocmd domain.com AXFR +noall +answer @domain.com

3. Zone Transfer on a Specified DNS Server

   dig @10.50.96.5 foocampus.com -t AXFR+nocookie