DNS (Domain Name System) security software and solutions play a crucial role in safeguarding the internet’s addressing system by ensuring that the domain name system operates securely and reliably. These solutions filter web traffic to intercept potential threats such as malware, by analyzing the signatures and behaviors of incoming data.
DNS security systems are not only pivotal in protecting a network’s integrity but also offer administrative features that allow IT managers to classify internet domains, manage user access, and enforce organizational web policies.
They act as a first line of defense, used to protect DNS servers and the websites associated with them, to defend against content that can compromise network security or that violates corporate policies, effectively blocking access to harmful, unapproved, or non-compliant websites.
Moreover, DNS security tools monitor network traffic for unusual or malicious activity, alerting administrators to potential security breaches such as unauthorized bot activity which could lead to disruptions in service availability.
Given their comprehensive capabilities, these tools are essential in defending against sophisticated cyber threats, including DDoS attacks, by providing robust mechanisms to identify, analyze, and neutralize attacks at the DNS level.
Best DNS Security Software & Solutions: What To Look For
When evaluating the best DNS security software and solutions, it’s important to consider several key features and capabilities that will ensure robust protection and efficient management of DNS-related security risks. Here’s a detailed list of things to look for:
- Threat Intelligence and Detection Capabilities
- The solution should be equipped with advanced threat intelligence to detect and respond to a variety of threats including phishing, malware, and ransomware.
- Look for solutions that continuously update their threat databases and utilize machine learning to adapt to new and evolving threats.
- Content Filtering and Access Control
- Effective DNS security tools must offer content filtering capabilities that block access to malicious, inappropriate, or non-compliant websites.
- Access control features should allow administrators to set policies based on user groups, device types, and time-of-day restrictions, enhancing policy enforcement across the network.
- DDoS Protection
- As DNS servers are common targets for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, ensure the solution includes specific mechanisms to protect against such threats.
- This may include rate limiting, anomaly detection, and traffic analysis to preemptively block malicious traffic.
- Anomaly and Event Monitoring
- The ability to monitor DNS traffic in real-time for anomalies that could indicate a security breach is crucial.
- Look for solutions that offer comprehensive logging and reporting tools that help in forensic analysis and compliance audits.
- Redundancy and Failover Capabilities
- DNS availability is critical; hence, the solution should include built-in redundancy and failover capabilities to maintain DNS availability even during an attack or failure.
- This involves having multiple, geographically dispersed DNS servers to ensure continuous service.
- Integration with Other Security Tools
- A top-tier DNS security solution should seamlessly integrate with other security systems such as firewalls, SIEM (Security Information and Event Management), and endpoint protection platforms.
- Integration allows for a coordinated response to threats, enhancing overall security posture.
- Ease of Use and Management
- The solution should feature an intuitive user interface and dashboard that simplifies the management of DNS security settings and policies.
- It should also support automation of routine tasks to reduce the administrative burden on IT staff.
- Customizable Reporting and Alerts
- Customizable reports and real-time alerts are essential for keeping track of network activities and potential security incidents.
- Ensure the solution can generate detailed, actionable reports that meet the specific needs of your organization.
- Regulatory Compliance
- Depending on your industry, DNS security solutions may need to help comply with various regulatory requirements such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS.
- Check for features that assist in compliance by safeguarding personal data and facilitating audit processes.
- Scalability
- As organizations grow, their DNS security needs may evolve. Ensure that the DNS security solution can scale easily without significant upgrades or replacements.
- Scalability ensures that as more devices connect to the network or as the volume of DNS queries increases, the system can handle the additional load efficiently.
By prioritizing these features when selecting a DNS security solution, organizations can better protect their networks from a wide range of DNS-based threats while ensuring smooth and compliant operational practices.
Best DNS Security Software & Solutions Used By Security Professionals
1. DNSFilter
Smarter DNS content filtering for your business. Flexible deployment options, including Roaming Clients for all operating systems, and Active Directory integration. Features to fit your organization, whether you’re fully remote, hybrid, or back in the office.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Anycast Network
- Appaware
- Content filtering
- Data export
- DNS filtering
- DNSSec
- Insights reporting
- Malicious domain protection
- Protective DNS
- Public/Guest Wi-Fi
- Roaming clients
- Single Sign-On
- Universal lists
- Website categorization
IDEAL FOR:
- Mid-market organizations
- Small businesses
PRODUCT WEBSITE: DNSFilter
2. DNSSense
DNSSense uses AI to identify deviations from normal DNS traffic logs. Unlike conventional methods that rely on known, signature-based detections, DNSSense is equipped to outsmart the ever-evolving techniques used by adversaries. This enables us to combat hard-to-detect DNS tunneling attacks, including ultra-slow DNS tunneling attempts, thereby ensuring a more secure and resilient network environment.
DNSEye integrates DNS, EDR, and xDR platforms, offering a unique approach to understanding traffic activity. By merging these platforms, DNSEye reveals hidden attack vectors and compromised users to provide valuable insights. Its ability to detect unusual DNS requests early on is crucial for defending against zero-day attacks, thus enhancing network security. Additionally, DNSEye cross-references its findings with existing cybersecurity measures to uncover any overlooked threats, bolstering the security layer and showcasing its value to your cybersecurity stack.
When paired with SIEM appliances, DNSEye acts as an intelligent filter for DNS traffic, highlighting only the records that require attention. This feature allows SOC teams to manage large volumes of DNS traffic data without incurring additional licensing costs. Its swift deployment, combined with substantial savings on DNS log-related expenses, maximizes the return on SIEM investments, making DNSEye a valuable addition to any organization’s cybersecurity toolkit.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Unifying security efforts through the power of DNS
- Defend from firstly-seen domains
- Enhanced protection for remote workers
- Signature-based systems fail for proactive response
- Zero-trust domain classification
- Intelligent automated log collection & seamless integrations
- Prevents sophisticated DNS tunneling attacks
IDEAL FOR:
- Enterprises
- Mid-market organizations
PRODUCT WEBSITE: DNSSense
3. Cisco Umbrella DNS
Cisco Umbrella combines multiple security functions into a single, cloud-native solution. Its combination of DNS-layer security, secure web gateway, CASB, and more helps to protect devices, remote users, and distributed locations anywhere. Processing over 600 billion internet requests per day and leveraging the world’s largest cyber threat intelligence team in Cisco Talos, Umbrella has achieved AV-TEST’s #1 security efficacy ranking multiple times.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- DNS-layer security: Umbrella uses DNS to stop threats over all ports and protocols. Stop malware earlier and prevent callbacks to attackers if infected machines connect to your network.
- Web security via selective proxy: Umbrella routes requests to risky domains to a selective proxy for deeper URL and file inspection. Effectively protect without delay or performance impact.
- App discovery & blocking: Umbrella provides visibility into cloud apps used across your organization, so you can identify potential risk and block specific applications easily.
IDEAL FOR:
- Enterprises
- Mid-market organizations
PRODUCT WEBSITE: Cisco Umbrella DNS
4. Cloudflare DNS
Cloudflare DNS is an enterprise-grade authoritative DNS service that offers the fastest response time, unparalleled redundancy, and advanced security with built-in DDoS mitigation and DNSSEC.
- Cloudflare’s web service offers features such as DNS, SSL certifications, DDoS protection, and CDN performance to enhance website security and performance.
- Users like Cloudflare’s wide range of customizable tools, security features, and the significant improvement in website loading speed, especially the caching feature and free CDN which make websites load faster in different countries.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Optimal Redundancy: Global Anycast network allows DNS resolution at the network edge in each of their data centers across 310+ cities.
- Safeguard from DNS attacks: Cloudflare offers built-in DDoS protection and one-click DNSSEC to ensure your applications are always safeguarded from DNS attacks.
- Fast DNS: Offers DNS lookup speed of 11ms on average and worldwide DNS propagation in less than five seconds.
- All domains can be managed through a user-friendly interface or via an API, regardless of where your Internet properties are hosted.
IDEAL FOR:
- Mid-market organizations
- Small businesses
PRODUCT WEBSITE: Cloudflare DNS
5. ScoutDNS
With an easy to use interface, unmatched reliability, and industry leading value, ScoutDNS delivers best in class protection within your budget.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Content Filtering: Manage 67+ categories, and create multiple allow/block lists that can be assigned globally or by policy. Add custom list entries direct from logs with a single click.
- Threat Protection: Block phishing, malware, adware, and more with real-time updates from the Machine Learning threat detection engine. Manage suspect TLDs through our industry-first active TLD custom filtering lists.
- Network Visibility: Gain insights into your network with 30 days of searchable real-time logs, view aggregate activity counts by domain, category, TLD, record type, and more all with drill-down navigation. Get DNS message inspection with full RDATA and message response views.
IDEAL FOR:
- Small businesses
- Mid-market organizations
PRODUCT WEBSITE: ScoutDNS
6. BloxOne DDI
BloxOne DDI is the industry’s first cloud-managed DDI (DNS, DHCP, and IPAM) solution optimized for large-scale retail, remote and branch office deployments. It delivers secure, reliable, and centrally-managed DNS, DHCP, and IPAM services at each location. You can deploy BloxOne DDI across thousands of sites and reduce the total cost of ownership by leveraging low-cost hardware, virtual appliances, license pooling, and license portability. BloxOne DDI provides a secure environment for IPAM and integrated cybersecurity protection against DDoS, data exfiltration, and other DNS attacks.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Simplify and automate IT: Orchestrate and automate DNS, DHCP and IP address provisioning across distributed locations from the cloud.
- Enhance network visibility: Increase visibility into end users and devices across the network regardless of their location.
- Scale elastically: Quickly deploy DDI services where and when you need them to accommodate new devices and IP addresses.
- Minimize downtime with local survivability: Provide direct connectivity to the Internet and cloud-based apps to all users with local DNS resolution.
- Ensure better end-user experiences: Reduce latency by connecting distributed locations to the nearest point of entry in the cloud for SaaS applications.
- Accelerate DevOps: Eliminate manual intervention and automate the provisioning of network services that DevOps services need to move at cloud speed.
IDEAL FOR:
- Enteprises
- Mid-market organizations
PRODUCT WEBSITE: BloxOne DDI
7. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security
Secure Your DNS Traffic. Benefit from industry-first protections against today’s most sophisticated DNS-based attacks.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Through groundbreaking inline deep learning algorithms that predict and identify new and advanced threats, DNS Security protects you from even the most sophisticated DNS-based attacks.
- Take advantage of industry-first ML-powered protections to prevent the most advanced DNS-layer attacks from exploiting your network and stealing your data.
- Identify millions of malicious domains with real-time analysis and continuously growing global threat intelligence.
- Simply turn on and manage your subscription through your NGFW without having to reroute your DNS traffic or work through lengthy change management processes.
- Flexible deployment options for those who use a proxy to secure their DNS traffic.
IDEAL FOR:
- Mid-market organizations
- Small businesses
PRODUCT WEBSITE: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security | Data Sheet
8. WebTitan Web Filter
DNS filtering and security solution providing AI driven threat protection and advanced web content controls.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Remote roaming agent
- User identification
- Anti phishing
- URL filtering
- Safe Search
- Azure AD integration
- Extensive APIs
IDEAL FOR:
- Mid-market
- Small businesses
PRODUCT WEBSITE: TitanHQ WebTitan DNS
9. CIRA DNS Firewall
CIRA DNS Firewall adds a cost-effective, low-maintenance layer to your cybersecurity footprint. By monitoring and analyzing your DNS traffic, CIRA DNS Firewall can block users from accessing malicious websites, prevent phishing attacks, and even stop malware already on your network from accessing the internet.
The made-in-Canada solution protects more than 2.5 million Canadians from malicious cyber threats and is both simple to use and easy to implement.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Effective cybersecurity that is transparent to end users, regardless of whether they are working in the office or not.
- Set up in minutes across a variety of devices with simple management.
- Block threats that other solutions miss, allowing for seamless integration and co-existence
with other network-based security tools
IDEAL FOR:
- Canadian mid-market and enterprise organizations
PRODUCT WEBSITE: CIRA DNS Firewall
10. Webroot DNS Protection
Protective filtering that combines security and privacy. Stops inbound malware and other DNS based attacks. Enforceable internet usage policies. Provides DoH visibility, filtering and security controls. Deployment options: standalone DNS agent or with Webroot Endpoint Protection.
STATS & SPECIFICATIONS:
- Accurate filtering of domains (leverages BrightCloud Threat Intelligence)
- Policy by device, IP address or group
- On-demand, drill-down reporting
- Expanded VPN support
- Ease of deployment and management
IDEAL FOR:
- Mid-market organizations
- Small businesses
PRODUCT WEBSITE: Webroot DNS Protection
In Conclusion…
Choosing the right DNS security software and solutions is pivotal for providing a highly secure and resilient connection to the internet for your organization. It helps to automatically block requests to harmful, unwanted, dangerous, or malicious internet domains, even encrypted DNS over HTTPS (DoH) requests.
By focusing on key features such as advanced threat detection, content filtering, DDoS protection, and ease of integration with other security tools, businesses can significantly enhance their defensive posture against malware signatures, harmful websites and media, and an array of cyber threats.
Additionally, solutions that offer scalability, detailed analytics, and compliance support provide a future-proof approach to DNS security, ensuring that as a company grows, its network remains protected and compliant. Investing in robust DNS security is not just about protecting infrastructure but also about ensuring the continuity and reliability of digital operations across an increasingly complex organization’s network.