OpenDNS - a free computer router defense tool from CISCO

JonQuixote · Jul 4, 2018

Just a quick note with a suggestion for an additional COMPUTER VIRUS PROTECTION that I got from a techie friend.
His company has two virus protection methods - (1) Windows 10 - Windows Defender and (2) Open DNS. { OpenDNS.com ]
Now you're going to ask what is OpenDNS? Well for one thing it's owned by CISCO, one of the world's top network companies. Secondly, the product is FREE. OpenDNS changes your COMPUTER ROUTER from a STATIC DNS identification to a DYNAMIC DNS identification - (of course, all this goes on in the background without your knowledge or interference). The dynamic feature changes your router's identification every 20 seconds or so, so that even if a HACKER attempts to reach your location via your router, the identification will have changed by that time and the HACKER will be blocked. Of course, if you open an email with a virus or go to a site you have been warned about from Windows 10, then of course, OpenDNS will not prevent the spread of the virus/maleware/etc.
To download and install OpenDNS on your computer network (good for tablets/laptops/diesktops/servers on the same home network) go to their website and get the instructions for your particular ROUTER by MANUFACTURER. The website will give you detailed instructions on how to install. I would recommend that you print out the instructions before downloading and installing.

I have been safely using OpenDNS for about four years without virus problems. Microsoft problems YES but not viruses! You will never get an email from OpenDNS or their partners for any solicitation of funding.

Safe computing without cost – almost as good as “free diapers”!

tiny · Jul 4, 2018

JonQuixote said:
OpenDNS changes your COMPUTER ROUTER from a STATIC DNS identification to a DYNAMIC DNS identification - (of course, all this goes on in the background without your knowledge or interference). The dynamic feature changes your router's identification every 20 seconds or so, so that even if a HACKER attempts to reach your location via your router, the identification will have changed by that time and the HACKER will be blocked.

I don't think so. I've never heard of a "dynamic feature" to "change your router's identification". What does that actually mean? Unless I've misunderstood, you're simple talking about changing DNS servers. This has nothing to do with dynamic DNS, by the way.

DNS is a service used to look up domain names (like google.com) and converting them into an IP address (like 21.232.1.91), which points to a particular server. A home computer doesn't have a domain name; and your IP address is allocated by your ISP (not your DNS provider) so a hacker trying to break in to your router will not be affected if you use OpenDNS.

OpenDNS does block access to known malicious domain names. But it's not perfect as not every malicious domain is known about. Another way to block malicious content in web browsers would be to use an ad-blocker such as uBlock Origin, and subscribe to the same kinds of blacklists. (You can also block adverts, trackers, widgets, etc.) N.B. uBlock is NOT the same as uBlock Origin!

https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock

If you want the ultimate in control of scripts, cookies, etc., and you're using Firefox, I'd strongly suggest uMatrix (another browser add-on from the same developer as uBlock Origin). You can set it up to disable scripts by default (so malware won't be able to run), and just enable them on sites you need to use. And block trackers much more effectively. Definitely something for the control-freaks:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/umatrix/

---

One thing that always troubles me with free services like OpenDNS is how they make their money and what they do with the information you give them -- you're telling them every domain you're visiting. (I don't have any answers here.) Anyway, another third-party DNS provider you might be interested in is Cloudflare and their 1.1.1.1 (and 1.0.0.1) offering. They claim to be privacy-orientated. I've no idea how true it is, or how OpenDNS compare. Might be worth reading the T&Cs, though.

https://1.1.1.1/

---

Another thing to consider is how the location of your DNS server might impact geo-location and content-delivery (CDN) services. A load-balanced server might respond to a US-based DNS server's request with an IP address of a US mirror. If you live in Europe, however, it would be better to be connected to the nearest mirror (for better speed and latency).

https://lifehacker.com/5788230/why-you-might-want-to-stick-with-your-isps-dns-server-after-all

---

Finally, there's a Windows program called DNSBench which will run a test of various DNS providers to see how fast they are. You can add other DNS servers (like your ISP's ones), maybe test at different times of day, and find out the fastest ones for you.

https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm

Hope I haven't put you to sleep!

JonQuixote · Jul 4, 2018

tiny said:
I don't think so. I've never heard of a "dynamic feature" to "change your router's identification". What does that actually mean? Unless I've misunderstood, you're simple talking about changing DNS servers. This has nothing to do with dynamic DNS, by the way.

DNS is a service used to look up domain names (like google.com) and converting them into an IP address (like 21.232.1.91), which points to a particular server. A home computer doesn't have a domain name; and your IP address is allocated by your ISP (not your DNS provider) so a hacker trying to break in to your router will not be affected if you use OpenDNS.

OpenDNS does block access to known malicious domain names. But it's not perfect as not every malicious domain is known about. Another way to block malicious content in web browsers would be to use an ad-blocker such as uBlock Origin, and subscribe to the same kinds of blacklists. (You can also block adverts, trackers, widgets, etc.) N.B. uBlock is NOT the same as uBlock Origin!

https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock

If you want the ultimate in control of scripts, cookies, etc., and you're using Firefox, I'd strongly suggest uMatrix (another browser add-on from the same developer as uBlock Origin). You can set it up to disable scripts by default (so malware won't be able to run), and just enable them on sites you need to use. And block trackers much more effectively. Definitely something for the control-freaks:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/umatrix/

---

One thing that always troubles me with free services like OpenDNS is how they make their money and what they do with the information you give them -- you're telling them every domain you're visiting. (I don't have any answers here.) Anyway, another third-party DNS provider you might be interested in is Cloudflare and their 1.1.1.1 (and 1.0.0.1) offering. They claim to be privacy-orientated. I've no idea how true it is, or how OpenDNS compare. Might be worth reading the T&Cs, though.

https://1.1.1.1/

---

Another thing to consider is how the location of your DNS server might impact geo-location and content-delivery (CDN) services. A load-balanced server might respond to a US-based DNS server's request with an IP address of a US mirror. If you live in Europe, however, it would be better to be connected to the nearest mirror (for better speed and latency).

https://lifehacker.com/5788230/why-you-might-want-to-stick-with-your-isps-dns-server-after-all

---

Finally, there's a Windows program called DNSBench which will run a test of various DNS providers to see how fast they are. You can add other DNS servers (like your ISP's ones), maybe test at different times of day, and find out the fastest ones for you.

https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm

Hope I haven't put you to sleep!

Thanks for your information and experiences.

tiny · Jul 4, 2018

No worries!

Another amazing technique for avoiding malware is to run software (such as your web browser) inside a sandbox. The sandbox manager monitors what the program does and creates a safe "sandbox" for it to play in.

Whenever the program tries to write or change data on your disk, it copies that data into the sandbox, and only changes that -- leaving all your original data intact.

If anything "bad" happens, you can simply delete the sandbox and everything goes back to the way it was before.

Sandboxie is free (ignore the "buy now" buttons)... You get a free trial, after that it just shows a message encouraging you to register for 5 seconds when you first start it.

https://www.sandboxie.com/HowItWorks

Just thought you might be interested

ORBaby · Jul 5, 2018

Your router/modem is identified by an IP address. Most of us have a dynamic IP address that is assigned by our ISP's DHCP server. If you have a domain name you would have a static IP address that the DNSs would use to convert the domain name to an IP address to be able to route data packets to.

tiny · Jul 5, 2018

ORBaby said:
If you have a domain name you would have a static IP address that the DNSs would use to convert the domain name to an IP address to be able to route data packets to.

Or you could use a dynamic DNS service to automatically update DNS records when your IP address changes. :smile: