A protective DNS is a service that protects users from visiting malicious websites. Watch the video below as we explain more about Protective DNS and how ThreatSTOP can help you.

 


What is Protective DNS?


A Protective DNS is a type of filtering system that protects users without censoring websites. It blocks access to websites that are known to be malicious and/or involved in cyber attacks. The IP addresses and sites that are blocked by protective DNS are associated with phishing, malware, ransomware, and other types of cybercrimes. Protective DNS is endorsed by the US government and required by contractors.


Can DNS be Hacked?


Some types of protective DNS can be hacked. This can happen if the protective DNS has infrastructure or software vulnerabilities. Hackers are constantly finding new ways to exploit these weak areas. This is why it is vital to use a reputable company that has an excellent reputation and strong track record. You need a company that uses encrypted communication, regular secure software updates, and monitors for unusual activity.



What Can You Do to Protect Yourself?


The best move you can make to protect yourself is to employ a provider that knows the ins and outs of network security. ThreatSTOP offers solutions that monitor DNS activity, protect your cybersecurity, and provides you with the peace of mind you need while you and your employees are on the web. ThreatSTOP will take care of your security while you focus on running your business.

You know that web security is one of the most important facets of running a safe and successful company. ThreatSTOP is the business that will make sure your cybersecurity problems are stopped before they start. Get in touch with us today so we can get you started with our DNS security solutions.

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Learn More:

What DNS Security Does A Typical Enterprise Need?

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Video Transcript
0:00 Intro
0:23 What is Protective DNS?

Protective DNS is a term that I think was invented by the US government and basically is DNS filtering, in a kinder package. The people that worry because they say DNS filtering is censorship, but if you say protective DNS, it's fine

0:23 What is Protective DNS?

So protective DNS or PDNS is just DNS filtering with the acknowledgment that if you use the right filtering rules, it's not censorship. Sure, you could implement censorship, people have tried with DNS, but that's just one of the bad things that can happen if you use the wrong threat intelligence.

At ThreatSTOP, we let you pick what threat intelligence you use. So unless you want to censor yourself, you won't run into the censorship problem, but you will get the protection, and that's the essence of what you want from protective DNS.

Some people ask what's DNS censorship and the background on that was that once upon a time, people wanted to be able to shut down particular websites because they were doing activities that weren't desirable to, for example, the recording industry. 

The recording industry said we want to shut down all of these file-sharing websites that are distributing copies of copyrighted material without paying royalties. So they said, let's filter the DNS to go do that. The problem with that is not that it wouldn't work somewhat. The problem is why is the recording industry controlling the worldwide DNS. 

So there was a big debate about that. I think that what you want to say is the end user is the one that should decide what filtering is going on, not some other entity. This issue is still out there. There are some courts in different countries that have ordered particular DNS filtering. Once Upon A Time, for example, in Italy, there was legally mandated filtering to deal with the worst of the worst child porn sites and also internet gambling sites that hadn't paid their Italian taxes. They wanted to be able to say that the government said ISPs have to filter that traffic out.

I think, you know, what we're probably going to end up doing is saying the end user should be in control of their filtering, but some governments are going to impose filtering, and hopefully, it's only for the worst of the worst traffic. If you travel to China and you try and access some U.S. websites, it's going to get filtered out. So, you know, it's a societal problem.

But, you know, my feeling is that the end user should be the ultimate authority here. Although governments are going to shut down certain websites either physically or by interfering with the DNS or whatever, I just think that a light touch is what's indicated here and only filter the worst of the worst.