To get from a human-readable domain name like pcmag.com to a machine-friendly IP address like 23.21.88.77, your browser contacts a Domain Name System (DNS) server. Some cybercriminals set up fraudulent DNS servers that send your browser to malicious sites. Victims of one such attack, called DNSChanger will lose Internet connectivity in July if they don’t correct their DNS settings. On the flip side, a number of companies including Comodo, Symantec, and OpenDNS offer free, secure DNS resolution. Still, that “last mile” of connection between your PC and the DNS server isn’t entirely secure.
The new DNSCrypt for Windows service from secure DNS provider OpenDNS protects that last mile. Whether you’re connecting from a local coffee shop or a sleazy Internet café in Istanbul, nobody can tap into that connection.
Why should you care? OpenDNS founder and CEO David Ulevitch has a few ideas. “Anyone who knows what they’re doing can eavesdrop on your Internet activity and see exactly which domains you are resolving,”, said Ulevitch in a blog post. “Worse, sophisticated attackers can modify responses and redirect you to malicious sites.” He went on to say, “As the DNS and security service powering the most Internet users around the world, we’re focused on inventing solutions that enable security for all the ways that people connect.”
The company points out that DNSCrypt and DNSSEC complement each other. DNSSEC validates DNS records; DNSCrypt protects the transmission of those validated records.
OpenDNS released DNSCrypt for Mac users last December. The Windows version, available here, is currently a technology preview, not a finished product. If you’re not adept enough to restore your original DNS settings in the event of a problem, you may want to wait before installing this technology on production systems.
Ulevitch hinted at more innovations to come. “DNSCrypt is a foundation for something much, much greater,” he said. “We have disrupted the world with our technology and ideas, and we believe ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.'”
For more from Neil, follow him on Twitter @neiljrubenking.
Article source: http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/internet-crime/297715-dnscrypt-for-windows-secures-the-last-mile. Creative Commons (CC)
