VPNs are mainly used to provide online anonymity to their user when surfing the web since they are engineered to mask a user’s actual IP address (location) and replace it with a shell IP in order to evade security threats and bypass geo-restrictions. However, a lot of user face several security failures while using a VPN, perhaps the most common and dangerous VPN failure is a leaking Dynamic Name System.
How to Prevent DNS from Leaking While Using VPN?
These are some useful solutions in order to use VPNs effectively and avoid Dynamic Name System leaks.
DNS Leak Test
Dynamic Name System, translates domain names into numerical IP addresses, a process that is usually carried out by your ISP through its DNS servers. On the other hand, with a VPN service, the DNS request is tunnelled through your VPN provider’s DNS servers instead of the ISP’s. Sometimes a technical faulty happens while you are on a VPN in which Windows uses its default settings, and send the request to the ISP’s DNS server instead of sending it through the VPN tunnel. This glitch is called DNS leak enabling the ISP to track down your online activities whether you’re using a VPN or not.
Accordingly, you should frequently do a DNS Leak Test to be sure that your ISP isn’t tracing your IP address and monitoring your internet activities.
Private DNS Provider
Take your privacy to a new level by using a private DNS provider or two different private DNS providers that don’t keep traffic logs for extra security and to make it impossible for a DNS to leak. One of the best private DNS providers are:
• Censurfridns.DK, 2 Danish-based private DNS servers that are also free.
• DNS servers listed on OpenNIC wiki.
If you want to change your DNS, follow the steps below:
- For Windows: Go to your network device properties > IPv4 properties > change DNS servers (at the bottom of the window).
- For MAC OS X: Go to “System Perefrences” > Network > choose your network device > Advanced > DNS tab > enter DNS servers.
- For Linux: Network applet > Edit Connections > Edit your network device > IPv4 Settings > Automatic (DHCP) addresses only > insert the DNS servers into the DNS servers textbox separated by a comma.
Use OpenVPN
OpenVPN is the safest VPN protocol to keep away from prying eyes and hackers. What’s also great about OpenVPN is that it doesn’t need to run on root privileges which makes it safer and stronger. Moreover, OpenVPN is highly reliable because when it goes down, the network pauses for repair, therefore, you can be sure that your data won’t be lost or corrupted.
Read full VPN protocols comparison here
https://www.waselpro.com/en/faq/44/
Turn Off Browser Plug-ins
Browser plug-ins; such as: Flash, Real Player, Quicktime, Java and Javascript facilitate it for third parties to keep track of your browsing habits which in turn can leak out your real IP address. Thereby, you can disable these plug-ins in order to stay avoid being monitored by other parties while you are navigating the internet.
