GCHQ planning to use DNS filtering to curb cyber-attacks

Posted by Geraldine Hunt on Tue, Oct 4th, 2016

It’s been announced that the UK's intelligence agency  GCHQ is stepping up the fight against cyber criminals with plans to use DNS filtering as a way of curbing cyber-attacks. The agency is reported to be looking at using DNS filtering to block known bad web sites which could infect a machine with malware. This is one of the most common ways in which cyber-attacks spread. GCHQ is reportedly looking to partner with UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to facilitate this, so it doesn't have to go through the longer process of legislating for it.

DNS filtering is not new to most of the UK's largest ISPs, they already routinely use DNS filtering technology to block chunks of the Web, such as porn sites. The filters were introduced following pressure from then-prime minister David Cameron. Allegedly this will be a voluntary program where UK citizens will be able to opt out of this filtering if they have concerns over civil liberties.

At TitanHQ we’re delighted to see the GCHQ embracing DNS filtering which we’ve championed for a long time.  For people that don’t know what DNS filtering involved it’s an off-premise Internet filtering solution that can prevent your network system being infected by malware and at risk from other web-borne threats. It is a pro-active solution to Internet security that complements your existing antivirus and anti spam software by blocking access to malicious URLs and protecting organizations against phishing campaigns.

Scalable, flexible and universally compatible, DNS filtering software has preset parameters and settings each organization can configure via a web-based interface to suit its own requirements. Not only does this enable organizations to enhance their online security, but also control what content their employees and guests can access.

We offer WebTitan Cloud,  a DNS based web filtering solution, hosted and managed by TitanHQ in our shared cloud environment. This cloud based solution provides complete protection from online threats such as viruses malware, ransomware, and comprehensive content filtering. Our intelligent content categorization combines industry leading anti-virus and cloud based architecture. This makes WebTitan Cloud the ideal solution for organizations needing maximum protection and minimal maintenance.