To gain a comprehension of how DNS malware protection works you first need to have a clear understanding of what DNS actually is.
DNS stands for Domain Name System, something that changes a simple to recognize domain name such as Google.com into the numeric IP address is employed in order to locate websites on the world wide web. So DNS is basically a contact list. You search for a title and are given an identifying number.
Once a URl is typed into a browser a DNS lookup takes place to identify the unique IP address that allows the website to be loaded. As your DNS server locates the correct IP address, it is loaded to your web browser and a link is established. This is a very straightforward process that happens in less than one second.
DNS Protection Best Methods
The DNS is basically a contact directory for the world wide web This means that if the DNS is changed the incorrect page will be loaded if a user tries to visit a website This is why hackers always target the DNS to redirect users to their malicious web pages. This process is known as DNS hijacking.
DNS hacking campaigns are also conducted in order to target DNS response traffic in Denial of Service attacks. For this very reason it is crucial that companies implement some level of DNS protection to stop these attacks from happening. Security specialists advise using these three DNS protection best practices to stop these attacks: DNS security extensions, DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS.
DNS malware protection is run during the DNS lookup phase of a web request, prior to any content being served up by the browser. The DNS makes no distinction between real websites and those used for malicious reasons. All web pages have an IP address, and the DNS will automatically hand over those addresses. DNS malware protection operates by contrasting the IP address against blacklists of known malicious or illegal web pages. With DNS malware protection configured, the IP address will be recognized. However, if the website is malicious and blacklisted, the IP address will not be loaded and thebrowser will be taken to a local block page that explains why access to the website has been denied.
DNS Filtering Service Advantages
DNS filtering has advantages over other types of internet filtering. These includes:
- Filtering happens prior to content being served, which means internet speed is not impacted, There is almost zero latency with DNS filtering implemented.
- DNS filtering needs no software installations or new hardware as filtering occurs in the cloud on the service provider’s servers. All that is necessary to begin filtering the internet is to amend your DNS settings to point to the service provider’s DNS servers
- A DNS filtering service will safeguard your group from all recognized malicious websites including those labelled as being implemented in phishing campaigns for credentials.
- DNS filtering gives companies more power to decide what types of content that can be accessed by staff members. The service provider will review the Internet and categorize websites using the material on the web site. Policies can then be tinkered with to stop staff members from viewing specific categories of web page.
