How DNS could Expose you to Security Issues

Did you ever think about the Domain Name System, DNS? This is something most of us don't think about when using the internet. Know that DNS could be exposing you to security issues, or slowing you down.

These are five things to know about DNS:

1: You can speed things up. Most ISPs frankly don't spend a lot of time optimizing DNS--so replace it. Google's 8.8.8.8 DNS uses global coverage and load balancing to give fast domain resolution. Although it will collect your data.

2: You can get extra protection. Cisco-owned OpenDNS has built-in identity theft protection and even parental controls for free. Keep in mind OpenDNS also collects some data about you. Quad9 on the other hand at 9.9.9.9 uses real-time info to block phising and malware, and Quad 9 does not store your data.

3: You can stay private and fast. Cloudflare offers a service at 1.1.1.1, which is not only fast but encrypted. Cloudflare promises to wipe all logs within 24 hours to insure privacy.

4: There are also IPv6 public DNS servers. It's not as catchy, but Google's is 2001:4860:4860::8888 and Quad 9's is 2620:fe::fe.

5: This is one you can't do yourself yet, unless you're in with the folks working on Oblivious DNS at Princeton. Without requiring a change to DNS structure, Oblivious uses two servers on either side of the Recursive DNS server so that the DNS server doesn't know what you're requesting and top-level servers don't know who you are. Promising!

There are loads more out there with special features and promises--just make sure you read the data collection policies and are comfortable with what they are. And remember even a DNS is not a VPN, so it doesn't secure your entire network. But that said, it's another brick in that security wall, so it's worth looking into.

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