The host running a BIND 9.x implementation must have DNS cookies enabled.

Severity
Group ID
Group Title
Version
Rule ID
Date
STIG Version
mediumV-275938SRG-APP-000516-DNS-000109BIND-9X-002470SV-275938r1123968_rule2025-07-243
Description
DNS cookies can help prevent spoofing and cache poisoning attacks by verifying the identity of both the client and server. They do this by including a cryptographic identifier (the cookie) in DNS messages, which can be verified in future messages. This makes it difficult for an attacker to learn the cookie values and thus spoof them.
ℹ️ Check
Verify answer-cookie is enabled. Inspect the named.conf file for the following: options { answer-cookie yes; If answer-cookie is missing or set to "no", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Edit the named.conf file: options { answer-cookie yes; }; After making changes, save the named.conf file and restart the BIND service to apply the changes.