6 DNS services protect against malware and other unwanted content

GreenTeam Internet

Free for: Personal or commercial use

DNS Addresses: 81.218.119.11 and 209.88.198.133

GreenTeam Internet provides both free and premium services for homes and small businesses. Its free preconfigured service automatically blocks malware and phishing sites, advertisements and adult-related content, including aggressive, violent and drug-related sites.

When you create a free account you can customize the content filtering by choosing among three predefined protection levels and 47 predefined categories, and you can create custom whitelists and blacklists. Paid accounts, according to the company, provide "more control, further customization and a wider protection."

When a site is blocked, the user is notified and told which category the site is classified as. On the blocked page, the user can report the page or send an email to GreenTeam asking to unblock it. Users can also enter their email to be notified if the page becomes unblocked. When using a free or premium account, the local network administrator can also include a customized message on the blocked page.

GreenTeam Internet doesn't provide a landing page for nonexistent or unresponsive domains, allowing the Web browser to display its default error page in those instances.

Norton ConnectSafe

Free for: Personal use

DNS Addresses: Vary based upon desired protection

Norton ConnectSafe provides three preconfigured DNS servers, free for personal use with no account needed:

• Security: The most basic service that automatically blocks malware, phishing and scam sites, and uses the DNS addresses of 199.85.126.10 and 199.85.127.10.
• Security + Pornography: Adds blocking of sexually explicit material; uses the DNS addresses of 199.85.126.20 and 199.85.127.20.
• Security + Pornography + Other: Adds blocking of other mature content, like alcohol, crime, drugs and gambling; uses the DNS addresses of 199.85.126.30 and 199.85.127.30.

There is also a business service that requires a paid subscription and that offers the same first two levels (via different DNS addresses); the third level blocks P2P file sharing instead of other mature content.

When they hit a blocked site, users see a page saying it's blocked and why, and there's a link to email Norton to dispute its blocking. There are no third-party ads on the page, but an ad for Norton products does appear.

The page shown for nonexistent or unresponsive domains doesn't contain advertisements, but offers a search field that will display results powered by Ask.com if the user decides to perform a search.

OpenDNS

Free for: Personal or business use for Enhanced DNS; personal use only for other home and family services

DNS addresses: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 ("FamilyShield" DNS addresses: 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123)

OpenDNS is one of the most popular third-party DNS providers around, offering both free and premium services for homes and businesses. Its most basic free service is called Enhanced DNS, which is provided via the company's main DNS addresses and is preconfigured to block malware and phishing sites.

OpenDNS also offers different service options for personal home use:

• OpenDNS FamilyShield: Similar to Enhanced DNS, but also preconfigured to block adult content.
• OpenDNS Home: Similar to Enhanced DNS, but offers customizable filtering and security options, including white- and blacklists, customizable messages for blocked pages and basic logs and stats. It uses the same main addresses as Enhanced DNS but requires you to create an account.
• OpenDNS Home VIP: Premium service similar to the Home service with usage stats and support, priced at $19.95 per year. It uses the same main addresses as Enhanced DNS and also requires you to create an account.

OpenDNS' basic business service, called Umbrella, offers advanced security and management, useful for larger networks and enterprise environments. Umbrella Prosumer handles up to five users, while the Umbrella service, which caters to larger businesses, is offered in three different levels with varied advanced features and functionality.

When a webpage is blocked, users see a simple page saying it's blocked and why. Network administrators who are using a free or paid account can add a note and contact form to the page so the user can request the website be unblocked. When using the Umbrella services on a business network, administrators can enter bypass codes to instantly unblock websites. Similar functionality is available when using the OpenDNS home services on a Netgear router (according to Netgear, most of its newer routers support it) with Netgear's Live Parental Controls.

Users who try to access a nonexistent or unresponsive domain will see the browser's default error page. OpenDNS' free services used to have advertisements on this page, which OpenDNS called the Internet Guide. However, as of June 2014, all advertisements have been removed.

This story, "6 DNS services protect against malware and other unwanted content " was originally published by Computerworld.