As cyber threats evolve, so must our defence systems. That’s why we are pleased to be introducing DNSFilter as our new partner for DNS filtering.
What is DNS filtering?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. In simple terms, the DNS is a naming system for everything on the internet. Domains like www.breakwaterit.co.uk are translated into IP addresses. These are then categorised in the DNS.
DNS filtering uses the system to block your access to malicious websites, as well as filtering out any content you request.
Who are DNSFilter?
DNSFilter was started in 2015 when CEO Ken Carnesi, Chief Architect Brian Gillis, and former Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroll decided they wanted to create the most effective DNS filtering service on the market. Today they are a team of 100+.
Their threat categorisation is ‘driven by machine learning and supplemented by external feeds’.
You can read more about their journey here.
What’s better about DNSFilter compared to others on the market?
Enterprise DNS Security has provided a report outlining comparisons between the top DNS filtering services worldwide.
Some key stats from the report show that Cisco Umbrella blocked 78.8% of malware threats. In comparison, DNSFilter blocked 91%.
When it came to Botnets, DNSFilter blocked 100% whilst Cisco Umbrella only blocked 75.8%.
Features are also compared in the report with DNSFilter being the only service to provide protection against zero-day threats, to be using an AI-based intelligence tool, to block trackers, and to have a publicly available roadmap of feature updates. This page of the report can be viewed here.
To download the full report, head to the DNSFilter website.
Why should you care?
Well, if you’re a client of ours, DNSFilter will now be our, and your provider for DNS filtering. If not, then you should be aware of importance of using a good DNS filtering service.
DNS is often labelled as the ‘phone book of the internet’. It is estimated that 70% of cyber security attacks involve the DNS layer. Additionally, from September 2020 to September 2021, the number of threats blocked by DNSFilter jumped from 10 million per month to 20 million. The increase of threats isn’t slowing and therefore, should be a concern for all organisations.
