In one embodiment, a service computes a plurality of features of a subdomain for which a Domain Name System (DNS) query was issued. The service aggregates the plurality of computed features into a feature vector. The service uses the feature vector as input to a machine learning classifier, to determine whether the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name. The service provides an indication that the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name, when the machine learning classifier determines that the subdomain is a DNS tunneling domain name.