IBM, along with security companies, introduces Quad9
IBM Security, Packet Clearing House and The Global Cyber Alliance have recently launched a free service designed to give consumers and businesses added privacy and security protection as they access the internet. The new Quad9 Domain Name System service helps protect users from accessing millions of malicious internet sites known to steal personal information, infect users with ransom ware and malware, or conduct fraudulent activity.
Quad9 provides an automated security solution at a time when it is needed most by consumers. To take advantage of the security and privacy of Quad9, users simply need to reconfigure a single setting on their devices to use 9.9.9.9 as their DNS server.
The protections delivered via Quad9 cover not only traditional PCs and laptops but can also be extended to internet connected devices (TVs, DVRs) or Internet of Things (IoT) technologies such as smart thermostats and connected home appliances.
Quad9 makes using security threat intelligence a hands-off effort and designed to give users “automated immunity” from known internet threats by automatically blocking access to known malicious websites.
Every website has a unique numerical address – known as an IP address. To make it easier to navigate the internet, those numeric addresses are translated to company names or words we can remember, understand, and search. Quad9 helps translate those numeric addresses into the URLs we are all familiar with, while adding in a layer of security and privacy before users land on the web address.
With this, whenever a Quad9 user clicks on a website link or types an address into a web browser, Quad9 checks the site against IBM X-Force’s threat intelligence database of over 40 billion analyzed web pages and images. The service also taps feeds from 18 additional threat intelligence partners, including Abuse.ch, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, Bambenek Consulting, F-Secure, mnemonic, 360Netlab, Hybrid Analysis GmbH, Proofpoint, RiskIQ and Threat STOP.
In four easy steps, consumers and businesses can have Quad9 filtering out websites that pose a threat to their devices and networks. Individuals or businesses can use this DNS service from their computer, router or network devices to resolve DNS requests and receive domain-blocking protection.
Setting up Quad9 is a simple configuration change, if one uses. Most organizations or home users can update in minutes by changing the DNS settings in a central DHCP server (router or Wi-Fi access point) which will update all clients in a few minutes, with no action needed at end devices at all.
Speaking on the same, Jim Brennan, Vice-President, Strategy and Offering Management, IBM Security, said, “Leveraging threat intelligence is a critical way to stay ahead of cybercriminals.” “Consumers and small businesses traditionally didn’t have free, direct access to the intelligence used by security firms to protect big businesses. With Quad9, we’re putting that data to work for the industry in an open way and further enriching those insights via the community of users. Through IBM’s involvement in Quad9, we’re applying these collaborative defence techniques while giving users greater privacy controls.”
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