New 8.8.8.8 mode to keep DNS queries private with the exception of Google.
Google Public DNS, the product name for the IP addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 of the DNS servers, can now handle the more secure DNS-over-TLS specification. Domain Name System (DNS) is the phone book-like method used to convert domain names to IP addresses.
DNS queries have traditionally been susceptible to sniffing and spoofing from anyone on the wire, but wrapping the queries in Transport Layer Security (TLS) can change that somehow.
“From today on, users can secure queries between their devices and Google Public DNS with DNS-over-TLS, preserving their privacy and integrity,” said Google without mentioning the obvious-because it’s on the receiving end of your queries, you’ll know which domain names you’re browsing, as your DNS query needs to be resolved at some point.
Google’s Android 9 release users can already switch to DNS-over-TLS; users need to find the Private DNS setting in Android network settings and set the DNS provider to dns.google-older Android versions do not have DNS-over-TLS support. In October, Alphabet company Jigsaw released the Intra app to encrypt DNS queries via HTTPS connections to help solve this problem.
Google also added that Linux uses the stubby DNS-over-TLS resolver on its resolver. Google is far from the first DNS resolver to use DNS-over-TLS, with Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 resolutioner being used when it was launched last April.
Cloudflare released Android and iOS apps for mobile users in November.[/responsivevoice]
