The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has released Protective Domain Name Service (PDNS) to prevent malware distribution using DNS by filtering access to malicious domains. Exa is proud to share that our SurfProtect customers are already protected by this service as our SurfProtect customers are using DNS servers which are utilising NCSC PDNS servers for resolution.
What is PDNS?
Where DNS is often referred to as the address book of the internet, PDNS cross references this address book against lists curated by NCSC and removes harmful domains.
How PDNS works
The NCSC works with its partners to curate a list of dangerous domains. If one of these domains is requested, the DNS name is not returned by PDNS servers.
These domains are based on information gathered from commercial security vendors, internal and open sources and reviewed by NCSC to ensure that only illegitimate sites are blocked.
For example, should a user try to access a malicious domain such as sites spreading malware or command and control (C2) domains, the browser will be unable to connect to the dangerous location. It can also break installed malware by preventing it to connect to the machine giving them orders.
Data from PDNS is also used to inform government cyber incident response functions if a cyber attack occurs and allows them to detect domains used in relation to criminal activity.
How to benefit from PDNS?
SurfProtect customers are already utilising this service, therefore our users will see the following page when a domain is blocked:
However should you want to make sure you are actively protected, you can check if you’re using our SurfProtect DNS by contacting our support team on 0345 145 1234 or emailing helpdesk@exa.net.uk.
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