# DNS zone count should be retrievable

DNS zones are the primary organizational units for DNS data. Understanding how many zones contain resource records helps assess:

Source: https://maester.dev/docs/tests/AD-DNS-01

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<div class="test-byline"><div class="test-byline-avatars"><a class="test-byline-avatar test-byline-avatar--author" href="/contributors/soulemike" title="Michael Soule · Original author"><img src="https://github.com/soulemike.png" alt="Michael Soule" width="28" height="28" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /></a></div><div class="test-byline-meta"><span class="test-byline-text">Contributed by <a href="/contributors/soulemike">Michael Soule</a></span><a class="test-byline-link" href="/contributors">All contributors →</a></div></div>

<p class="test-part">Part of <a href="/docs/tests/ad">Active Directory</a> · Active Directory · DNS · <a href="/docs/tests">All checks</a></p>

```powershell title="Run this check"
Invoke-Maester -TestId AD-DNS-01
```

## Overview

DNS zones are the primary organizational units for DNS data. Understanding how many zones contain resource records helps assess:

- **Infrastructure complexity**: More zones indicate a more complex DNS environment
- **Administrative boundaries**: Zones often represent different administrative domains
- **Service distribution**: Multiple zones may indicate delegated or distributed services
- **Security posture**: Unused or empty zones may represent configuration drift

#### Control Type

**Operational**

#### Security Recommendation

Regularly audit DNS zones to ensure they are all necessary and properly configured. Remove unused zones and verify that zone delegation follows your organization's security policies.

#### How the Test Works

This test retrieves all DNS zones and counts those that contain resource records. It provides:
- Total number of DNS zones
- Count of zones with records
- Count of empty zones

#### Related Tests

- `Test-MtAdDnsEmptyZoneCount` - Identifies zones with no records
- `Test-MtAdDnsZonesWithOnlySoaNs` - Finds zones with only default records

## Details

<details>
<summary>Every attribute of this check</summary>

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Test ID | AD-DNS-01 |
| Severity | Info |
| Suite | Active Directory |
| Product | Active Directory |
| Feature | DNS |
| Area | Infrastructure hardening |
| Resource type | DnsZone |
| MITRE ATT&CK | None |
| PowerShell test | [Test-MtAdDnsZoneCount](https://github.com/maester365/maester/blob/main/tests/ad/dns/Test.AD-DNS-01.ps1) |
| Services | ActiveDirectory |
| Permissions | ActiveDirectory:Remoting:Microsoft.PowerShell, ActiveDirectory:Cim:root\MicrosoftDNS:MicrosoftDNS_Zone:Read, ActiveDirectory:Cim:root\MicrosoftDNS:MicrosoftDNS_ResourceRecord:Read, ActiveDirectory:Cim:root\MicrosoftDNS:MicrosoftDNS_RootHints:Read |

</details>

## Source

- Test: [`tests/ad/dns/Test.AD-DNS-01.ps1`](https://github.com/maester365/maester/blob/main/tests/ad/dns/Test.AD-DNS-01.ps1)
- Documentation: [`tests/ad/dns/Test.AD-DNS-01.md`](https://github.com/maester365/maester/blob/main/tests/ad/dns/Test.AD-DNS-01.md)