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  • Writer's pictureAaron Magruder

Protect Your Family from the Internet - Fast - Simple - Free








  • If you have kids, you probably don't want them seeing certain things on the internet.

  • If you do online banking, you probably don't want to click on a Phishing e-mail and give your credentials to an online attacker.

  • If you have a computer, you probably want to reduce the chances of getting malware to avoid a costly repair.

WHAT IS DNS?

Before we dive into the solution, it would be helpful to understand what Domain Name System, or DNS, is. In short, it is a phone book for the internet. You look up a name and DNS give you the number to call.

WHAT DOES OpenDNS DO?

OpenDNS provides the capability to block or allow access to specific web site categories such as malware, social networking, nudity, drugs, games phishing, music, shopping and more. It does this by NOT returning the number to call when a website you asked for matches a preconfigured category.

CAN IT PREVENT Phishing ATTACKS?

Phishing is the act of persuading someone to click on a link or website that looks like a trusted website in hopes of obtaining your personal information. OpenDNS prevents against this type of attack by not directing you to known phishing sites.

BENEFITS OF OPENDNS HOME

  • Websites will load faster, and with OpenDNS' 100% up-time, you won't have to worry about unreachable websites and DNS outages from your ISP.

  • With over 50 customizable filtering categories, OpenDNS Web content filtering keeps parents in control of what websites children visit at home.

  • OpenDNS blocks phishing websites that try to steal your identity and login information by pretending to be a legitimate website. Surf the Web with confidence.

  • Over 30,000,000 homes, schools, and businesses of all sizes rely on OpenDNS for a better Internet.




If the link is changed in the future, try www.opendns.com and clicking Consumer from the menu.


HOW DO I USE OpenDNS?

After you have finished signing up, you will be able to setup your network settings including which Web Content to filter. There are some preconfigured filtering levels to choose from or you can use the custom options. At the bottom of the screen, you have the option to Whitelist certain domains so they are never blocked or Blastlist certain domains so they are always blocked.



Click the Security Tab to block Malware, Botnets and Phishing attacks. Click the Advanced Settings to Enable Dynamic IP Address updates discussed below.


Most home internet services use DHCP IP Addresses which means your internet provider can change your publicly routable IP Address at anytime which would interfere with the OpenDNS settings. It relies on DNS request coming from the known IP Address to match your filtering settings. OpenDNS has a Dynamic IP Updater Client you will install on your home computer. This application will keep your public IP Address updated in your OpenDNS Account.


Download the Windows or MAC Client, install and login to your OpenDNS Account.



OpenDNS has instructions on how to update your gateway or individual computers to use their service. Most of the time, you will update only your home gateway and not each individual computer. Follow the directions listed - https://use.opendns.com


WHAT CAN I DO TO PROTECT MY KIDS FROM GOOGLEING IMAGES?

Use Google Safe Search to filter out explicit content.

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