OpenDNS Home<\/a> is one such service, used by over 30 million people at Fortune 50 companies, small businesses, schools, and homes. The free service doesn’t require you to sign up for anything, or install any software. By twiddling a few numbers in your router’s setup screens, you can speed up web surfing. But you can also filter out malware, phishing sites, botnets, If you also want to filter out adult content, use the OpenDNS Family Shield<\/a> instead. It works exactly the same as the OpenDNS Home service, but is preconfigured to block sites that may not be appropriate for younger users.<\/p>\n OpenDNS includes one of the leading anti-phishing projects on the Internet. PhishTank.com<\/a> is a collaborate effort to identify and block phishing Web sites one bogus URL at a time. Any registered user can submit a suspected phish to PhishTank via email or the site\u2019s \u201cAdd A Phish\u201d uploading feature.<\/p>\n <\/span>Each suspect URL is evaluated by a worldwide community of security consultants, academics, and registered users. When at least two users agree it\u2019s a phish, the bogus URL is added to PhishTank\u2019s database of verified phishing links. The number of votes needed to verify a phish varies depending on the reputations of the voters. Reputation is established by being right more often than you are wrong. Users who submit lots of false positives \u2013 URLs that turn out not to be phishing sites \u2013 and who, more often than not, incorrectly label others submissions as phish or not-phish, will have lower reputation ratings.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n False positives \u2013 URLs incorrectly labeled \u201cphish\u201d by the community \u2013 can also be reported. PhishTank\u2019s staff will review the classification and revise it if warranted. OpenDNS draws upon many resources such as PhishTank to decide which URLs and IP addresses to blocks for its users who have phishing protection enabled. It\u2019s possible that a URL labeled \u201cphish by the PhishTank community will not be blocked by OpenDNS.<\/p>\n Separately, OpenDNS Domain Tagging<\/a> offers users the option to label websites with tags such as \u201cadult,\u201d \u201cviolence,\u201d \u201csocial network,\u201d \u201cgambling,\u201d and so on. Registered users can tag a domain, but it takes a consensus of the community to make that tag \u201cstick.\u201d OpenDNS users can use the tagging system to block selected categories of content, if desired.<\/p>\n There’s really no downside to switching your DNS nameservers from the ones provided by your Internet Service Provider to the OpenDNS ones. Most users will see slightly improved page loading time, less “lag” when contacting a website,gaming servers and fewer errors with unreachable websites.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>I am skeptical about the \u201cwisdom of the crowd\u201d method used by PhishTank and OpenDNS. Phishing sites come and go rapidly, and I can\u2019t believe that a \u201ccommittee\u201d of tens of thousands can keep up with the bad guys on every front. But if it blocks the most common phishing attacks, there’s value in that. Just don’t assume it will protect you from EVERY known phishing threat, and continue to use caution about clicking links you see in emails.<\/p>\n The \u201cparental controls\u201d offered by OpenDNS are probably more effective; p**n, piracy and social media sites don\u2019t change domain names nearly as often as phishing sites do. But like every parental-control program ever created, OpenDNS blocks some sites that arguably are not harmful to children. Also, its blocking applies to one\u2019s entire network, so Mom and Dad have to give themselves permission to view \u201cadult\u201d sites like La Leche League, or shop at Victoria’s Secret.<\/p>\n If you configure your Internet router with the OpenDNS name servers, it’s important to remember that it can protect only the computers, laptops and other devices that are connected to your router, via a wired or wireless connection. When outside of WiFi range, OpenDNS can’t protect mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones or tablets. However, you also have the option to modify the DNS settings on individual devices, rather than (or in addition to) your router. This OpenDNS setup guide<\/a> will walk you through the steps to make it happen. Just remember to record your current nameserver settings somewhere as a backup, in case you want or need to switch back.<\/p>\n Do you use an alternative DNS offering to boost your speed or security online?<\/p>\n Have a Great Week From all of us at ZI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On occasion, I have recommended using alternative DNS as a means to a faster and more reliable Web browsing experience. But faster Web surfing isn’t the only benefit of switching your DNS servers. I know it sounds geeky, but I’ll explain it all in plain English and show you how to make Internet usage both … Continue reading ![\"OpenDNS\"](\"https:\/\/askbobrankin.com\/opendns-umbrella.jpg\")
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<\/p>\nBut Does It Work?<\/h2>\n