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DNS Server Blocks Malware Sites Automatically
Here's a great idea to help keep your PC free of malware. It's free, and you don't need to install anything. You simply need to change a setting on your PC or in your router.
As you probably know, every web server on the internet has an IP address. Google's, for example, is 173.194.36.104. If you were to type http://173.194.36.104 into your web browser, you'd reach their web site. Try it if you don't believe me.
During the development of the Web, it became pretty obvious that forcing users to remember the numerical address of every site they wanted to visit simply wasn't going to work. So along came DNS, or the Domain Name System. It's basically a big database of names against IP addresses. When you type www.google.com into your web browser, your request goes to a DNS server, which looks up the IP address for google.com and then redirects your request to the appropriate server.
There are lots of DNS servers on the internet. Chances are, your computer is configured to use the one provided by your internet service provider. And chances are, it works perfectly well at looking up IP addresses. But there are also some other DNS servers that you can use instead, which offer additional features.
For example, security company Sunbelt Software runs its own DNS server. In addition to providing standard lookups, it also knows which domain names host malware. In such cases, instead of redirecting your request to the page you requested, it takes you to a warning page on Sunbelt's own web site.
So, by configuring your computer to use Sunbelt's DNS server, which goes under the name of ClearCloud DNS, you get another layer of security on your PC without having to do anything else.
Full details of how to use the service, which is free, are at http://www.clearclouddns.com. Basically, you can choose one of 2 options. To use the service on just a single PC, use the Windows Control Panel to change the properties of your TCP/IP connection and change the address of your DNS server from its current setting to the clearcloud one.
If your PC is connected to a router, it probably uses DHCP to allow the router to automatically tell the computer which DNS server to use. In which case, a better option is to change the DNS server setting in your router. That way, all of the devices which are connected to your router, both wireless and wired, will begin to use the new DNS server and thus benefit from the extra protection. Thankfully, all this is explained in great detail on the clearclouddns.com site, so just follow the instructions.
If you want to see clearclouddns in action, there's a video on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asn3Bp4asro which shows it in more detail. This is not an official Sunbelt posting, but does provide an interesting overview.
Thanks to user maxmalone for recommending this. If there's a Hot Find that you want to tell everyone about, start by telling me. See http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/submit-product-review.htm.
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Comments
I noticed ClearCloud will end its service on September 1, 2011 and you will need to reconfigure your network connection.
Thank you for mentioning this. We have been aware of it for some time, ever since the original announcement from GFI. As these things sometimes change depending on feedback, we prefer to wait until the event becomes fact. At this point we will revise our site references to ClearCloud and if it does evolve into a commercial component of Vipre only, they will be removed.
I would rather do the filtering and protection locally, on my own computers and network.
Only been infected once during decades, and then when I let someone else use my computer.
My antimalware does keep detecting some Nirsoft stuff as malware, but takes correction easily. Some Nirsoft programs can be used maliciously.
I see some mention of Norton here but not too much. Anyone have experience or better knowledge about it.I ran the DNS benchmark utility and it came up as the third fastest available for me and my location and was the fastest that also provide filtering of dangerous sites. It was faster than Open DNS, Ultra DNS, and way faster than my current default server. It was indicated to redirect to their ad site on bad addresses, but so does OpenDNS. I don't see that as a terrible thing so it looks like the way to go the speed things up and filter bad actors. Any comments?
Please tell me which DNS good for online banking?
Excellent service for its purpose of blocking malware site according to several Youtube reviews,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyojbHCxw1g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNTd3MVD6M
but according to Namebench DNS benchmarks, Clearcloud is slower than other DNS out there, not that DNS speed matter much in terms of real speed (we are talking freakin milliseconds) and perception.
Clearcloud blocking page also does not allow you to bypass it if for example you want to visit a incorrectly blacklisted site despite clearcloud warning.
However, they have an excellent response time to incorrectly blacklisted sites. I sent them 2 notifications of wrongly blacklisted sites today, providing them a My wot rating page and Norton Safe web diagnostic pages, and they emailed me back within 3 hours saying that they will unblacklist the pages and both sites are now working.
Here hoping the final version, allows advanced users to bypass their warning page, like all other DNS, and browser filtering services.
...and they don't suddenly make it a component of Vipre for paid customers only :)
So you trust a third party server to intercept and monitor and record all your viewing habits , credit card details, bank details, email passwords..... I think not.
All DNS do this, your service DNS does this too. If you have Verizon or comcast for example, they will give up your internet activity log if they are handed a subpoena.
http://www.clearclouddns.com/Privacy/
it collects "Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your download and in some cases, one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser"
You missed this bit at the beginning:
"Sunbelt Software collects limited non-personally identifying information your browser makes available whenever you visit one of our websites".
As it says, applies only to their own sites and is standard stuff.
Not missed, but purposefully ignored:
A vendor posted the privacy page above in answer to this question on the ClearCloud DNS. It's quite posssible that the vendor believes the privacy policy also applies to the DNS service, which also sort of qualifies as a website/web-device of ClearCloud.
Or the vendor didn't understand the forum question!
Of course, anonymizing services would eliminate this collection of extra information about browsers and such that ClearCloud shouldn't be gathering, IMO.
Much more so than ever I would the servers used by my ISP which are more than happy to supply me with redirects to malware sites without querying anything.
To suggest that Sunbelt, Comodo, OpenDNS or other providers are in some way milking your credit card and bank details demonstrates a real lack of something which maybe someone else can explain better than myself :) The fact is, by using such a service these details are less likely to fall into the wrong hands than they would otherwise be at risk of doing.
This is in fact the response from Sunbelt about ClearCloud:
"No, we're not collecting any data. We count the unique IP addresses so we know how many customers are using the service, but that's the extent of it".
Common Sense 1 - Paranoia 0 :)
Started using Clearcloud today & first I manually installed it...ran using shadow defender..worked well...then decided to download from their site using their windows utility...that I like a lot more because it places a icon in the task bar that can at will turn it on or off and also take u to their web page or to their forum.
So far, it does not seem to be slowing down my puter at all and no adverse effects. They are also coming out with an automatic utility for routers...may change my routers settings manually or just wait for the time being.
Giving it a thumbs up. Thanks for another good "find" Giz.
Question: Is it feasible to double up on DNS filter services when using a router, e.g. set up the router to use Clearcloud, but set up the individual PCs connected to it to use Norton? What would happen in that case? Would you be getting two extra layers of security that way? Or would one DNS service take precedence over the other?
Thanks
bobO
Links to a private video test of this service here:
https://forums.comodo.com/general-discussion-off-topic-anything-and-ever...
With thanks to member Sope for posting the original link in the forum.
Thanks you for this info. Gizmo hi five!
Bearing in mind of course that OpenDNS does NOT filter malware sites with the free version.
Are you sure? It had options to block in its genre like phishing.
You only get phishing and botnet protection with the free option. Malware site protection is only provided with the premium service.
http://www.opendns.com/start/
Wait, what exactly is malware site protection? It blocks malware sites?
You need to check the published definitions for each service as they all classify these differently and use different methods to assess the content.
EXCELLENT find, it works perfectly and is lightning fast!
I've been using OpenDNS for a number of years. It is probably the best maintained DNS I have found for anti-phishing, anti-rogue website filtering.
I tried a number of other DNS free services until I ran the Gibson Research Benchmark DNS http://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm tool. To my surprise not all DNS services are created equal when it comes to performance. OpenDNS, on average, outperforms the majority.
Try the GRC tool and get some numbers to justify your move to an alternative DNS.
And if you are still concerned about protecting against "drive-by downloads" from rogue websites, get Spybot Search & Destroy and immunize your PC Host files from browsing to rogue websites.
Check this website for more on Host files:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
Checkout Hostman for managing host files on your PC.
ClearCloud has only done okay in tests against malware. Check out DynDNS at http://www.dyndns.com/services/dynguide/. They also host Norton DNS but Norton seems to be more aggressive in flagging sites.
I use OpenDNS over comodo/norton/clearcloud as it is consistantely faster. Testing using Gibson Research Benchmark DNS http://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm which is free to use.
Good find.
It is labelled as being in beta status so potential users should be aware of that.
I can see this appealing to a lot of folks who maybe find the Norton service too aggressive and/or for whatever reason don't like Comodo :)
Depending on your connection setup you may need to re-dial it after changing your settings before they will become effective, so if you enter the server addresses and then can´t open any pages this could be why.
I've always liked Sunbelt, even more so since they teamed up with Malwarebytes so I'll give this service a run myself.
I am currently using OpenDNS.com for this same function. So far it has worked for me, as near as I can tell. It blocks "unsuitable", phishing and other sites. All traffic is routed through their static IP addresses. I'll keep Sunbelt in mind if I feel that I need to change services.
Same here - OpenDNS has been working great for me. And if I feel the need to look elsewhere I'll keep ClearCloud DNS in mind, but I doubt that I'll feel that need anytime soon.
But thanks for letting us know about this alternative, r.schifreen.
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