TAKING THE BAIT (off the hook)

Today, I manually changed my DNS servers. WHAT?? I am sure many of you are wondering what in the world I am talking about! I am sure all of you know that if you go to a bad website or click on a link in SPAM, you will deeply regret it. And that’s what I am talking about. Just like you use a GPS in your vehicle to know where to turn to reach your destination, computers use DNS to know where to turn to reach the website you wish to browse. And just like a GPS can direct you around trouble spots (with a Traffic subscription), a DNS server can direct your computer to take a detour when it is headed for a bad website. I am aware of two DNS systems that have been specifically configured to steer your PC away from ‘bad’ websites. One is called Family Shield and the other is Norton DNS. Both are new, and involve changing the DNS settings in your router (protects all PCs connected to it) and/or your computer (protects your laptop on the road) from the default settings your ISP automatically provides behind the scenes when you connect.

Unfortunately, changing these settings is uncharted territory for most humans, but the instructions provided (click links above) are not too bad. If you are confused, trying reading the instructions at both sites but use the set of numbers from the system you prefer to use (both systems are implemented in the same manner). Note that you cannot use both at the same time; when you visit a website your computer only asks for directions once. And note too that this approach in not foolproof – it is possible for the bad guys to use an IP address rather than a domain name, and it also takes a finite period of time for the people managing these DNS servers to become aware of new bad websites and add them to their naughty list. However, it should take Norton less time to add new bad guy entries into their DNS system then to develop new antivirus definitions and distribute them. That’s one reason I decided to add this layer of protection to my current computer security practices. It just makes it that much harder for the bad guys to get me to take their bait.