DNS is a fundamental part of any internet request.  In order for you to get to any web site DNS performs the job of telling the computer where the web site servers are so the computer can direct its request to those servers.  In order to send or receive emails, DNS is involved in telling the computer and the email software you use where the email servers are.   Even malware needs DNS in order to operate.  In essence, without DNS working on your machine, you have no internet.   Most of us don't think about this because DNS service is provided automatically by our ISPs or our IT department.  However, as fundamental as DNS may bes, it has largely remained ignored as a method of protection against malware or as a method to improve privacy.  No anti-virus includes DNS protection for example.

DNS protection service replaces the DNS provided by your ISP with those provided by Quad 9 on our behalf.   Based on over 18 intelligence providers, the DNS service provided to us by Quad 9 blocks against known malicious domains preventing your computer (and you) from connecting to malware or phishing sites.  Each of those intelligence providers supplies a list of malicious domains based on their heuristics which examine such factors as scanned malware discovery, network IDS past behaviors, visual object recognition, optical character recognition, structure and linkages to other web sites, and individual reports of suspicious or malicious behavior. Whenever a Solve iQ user clicks on a website link, and ad, or types an address into their web browser, the Solve iQ DNS protection checks the site against a list of domains and denies the attempt, preventing connections to malicious sites when there is a match.

In effect, because your ISP provides your DNS, your ISP can track every website you visit (so its not just Google).  Some ISPs make money with your DNS queries by redirecting misspelled domains to their own search results.  So, in terms of privacy enhancement,  Solve iQ's DNS protection replaces your ISP's DNS service effectively hiding your DNS queries from them and their partner.   

So what do you see when we block a domain?  If you type a domain name in your browser without the "https" in front of it (which means you are going there without encrypting and is not a recommenced practice) we'll redirect your browser to a page warning you about not going there.

No matter how you and your computer use DNS, if a block is in effect you'll see an unobtrusive message letting you know we blocked that attempt.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bogdan Odulinski has been the Senior Director of Strategy at Solve iQ since 2010. In this role, he helps execute on initiatives that support the company mission including shifting to a SaaS model and strategic partnerships. He has a history of thought leadership in the tech industry.