A new nonprofit has launched a free Domain Name System (DNS) service that filters malicious domains linked to botnets, phishing campaigns, and other malicious activity. The new Quad9 DNS service built by IBM Security, Packet Clearing House, and the Global Cyber Alliance, is aimed at consumers and small- to midsized businesses, and doesn’t share or resell user DNS lookup information to advertisers.

 

Quad9 goes far beyond standard DNS name resolution, with four key areas of focus.

• Privacy: Unlike many other DNS services, Quad9 makes use of aggregated data, but by design does not store, correlate or otherwise employ any personally identifiable information (PII). Quad9 does not and never will share any of its data with marketers, nor will it use this data for demographic analysis.
• Security: Quad9 makes security a chief priority to deliver superior protection against cybercrime networks and malware, integrating security analysis from individual machines’ DNS queries to global trends.
• Scalability: Quad9 leverages PCH’s long history of providing highly robust DNS back-end infrastructure, including over 160 points of presence around the world.
• Ease of use: Administrators can easily configure endpoint devices to point to the Quad9 DNS server at address 9.9.9.9.

DNS servers are typically assigned by your internet provider or IT department, and both consumers and businesses can make a simple change to the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to route DNS traffic through Quad9 without requiring end users to make any changes. Quad9 is and will remain freely available to anyone who wants to use it.