DNS Security - How it Works

How DNS Security Works And The Business Benefits

DNS Security provides protection from online threats such as viruses, malware, ransomware, phishing attacks and botnets. The Domain Name System (DNS) makes it so that we can use the Internet by remembering names, and computers can translate these names into machine-readable IP addresses to transfer information from websites, email servers, and file servers to your web browser or email client.

Do we need DNS Security if our Business has Endpoint Antivirus?

Yes, but antivirus software can only detect known viruses while it’s running – end users are notorious for turning off antivirus and the local firewall on their computers to avoid sluggish performance or install software that they “need” to do their job (or sometimes, really, to distract themselves from doing their job!). Managing this isn’t always as simple as enforcing domain policies – sometimes the culprits are in the executive suite.

Web-delivered malware can affect the entire business. If CryptoLocker or Petya or one of its ever-evolving variants destroys a shared drive containing overtime logs or customer invoices, who loses out? And there are other viruses that may be lurking undetected (Uroburos went undiscovered for years), silently stealing information or waiting to deliver a destructive payload.

DNS Security will not prevent all of these, but having multiple layers of security lowers the risk. What layers so you require? You need DNS Security, spam filtering, endpoint anti virus, sensible firewall rules, up-to-date software, regular reliable backups, and an aware workforce. Leaving a single door open makes all the rest of the locks pointless.

Is DNS Security Difficult to Deploy?

DNS security provides an opportunity for using DNS as a very basic, low-latency and low-bandwidth filter to protect users from phishing sites, botnets, and other risky websites – and a way to prevent access to inappropriate NSFW (not suitable for work) websites. By using DNS Security with a database of categorized websites you can be safer in the blink of an eye. The filter protects your network by only providing lookup requests with a valid IP address for safe websites, but returns a local IP address to deliver a block page for forbidden sites.

Can Users Bypass DNS Security?

End users may try to get around your filters. No DNS Security approach is immune to circumvention – both appliance-based and cloud DNS Security services can be bypassed. But you can take simple steps to limit your end users’ ability to access forbidden websites. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and set some firewall rules on your Internet gateway/router! You can block DNS requests to anything other than your approved DNS service and block all other DNS requests. If you use an external DNS server, you should allow only port 53/UDP to access the IP addresses of your chosen DNS Security service servers.

WebTitan allows you to monitor, control, secure and protect your business from online threats.

How DNS Security Works

WebTitan is our DNS Security product that allows you to monitor, control, secure and protect your business from online threats. It’s based in the cloud, it’s easy to use and is priced competitively. The two key functions of the product are – web security and web content control. A user types a URL into their browser, this request is sent to the WebTitan Cloud servers and based on a pre-defined policy, the request is allowed or blocked. If the request is blocked the user is presented with a block page informing them why it was blocked. If the user is allowed they are passed on to the requested URL

WebTitan DNS security has received best in class reviews on the various review websites:

Key Benefits of using DNS Security with WebTitan 

• Block Malware & Malicious Sites -  WebTitan Cloud blocks access to malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, viruses, malicious sites, spyware, etc. It eliminates malicious content at the source
• Control Internet Access - WebTitan Cloud allows you to control internet access in your organization at a granular level and from an easy to use management console.
• Simple Set Up with Immediate Results -  Requires no software installation and can be set up and operational in minutes.
• Benefits of the Cloud - Deployed as a cloud-based service this DNS based solution requires a simple DNS redirect to the WebTitan servers. This facilitates scale and eliminates latency

Key Features of DNS Security with WebTitan:

• URL Filtering

Filters URL’s into 53 predefined categories such as social media, news, pornography, gambling, etc. The system contains over 500 million website addresses in 200 languages each sorted into predefined categories.

• Cloud Keys

A bypass code that can be entered on the block page allows a user to bypass the block page and proceed to the requested website.

• On the Go

The Windows-based agent that when installed on a laptop ensures the user continues to use the WebTitan Cloud policy outside the office environment

• DNS Proxy

A small locally installed virtual machine that integrates with Active Directory and allows per-user reporting of internet activity

• Extensive DNS Security API

Remote management and monitoring via API.

• Flexible Policies

Different considerations and policies for different environments. Easily create and manage your own policy to protect users including whitelists and blacklists of URL’s and domains.

• Support

Renowned for our focus on supporting customers.

• Reporting

Access to a suite of over 50 predefined reports on user or group activity. These reports can be scheduled, or exported in multiple formats.

• Multi-Tenanted Platform

Create new accounts easily and manage any number of locations.

• Scalable & Fast

Set up in minutes and managed from an intuitive web-based interface. The solution can handle any volume of usage with no latency.

The Benefits of Using a DNS Security Service:

• Improves security by blocking access to malicious and risky websites
• Prevent malware downloads from malicious or hacked websites
• Keeps your defense up to date with targeted threat analysis and zero-day updates to protect your customers as threats arise.
• Use policy-based controls to manage access with highly granular blocking and filtering
• Prevent users from accessing material that could hinder productivity or cause offense.
• Use policy-based controls to manage access with highly granular blocking and filtering
• Experience the transformative power of WebTitan's advanced DNS and web content filtering solution.