Have you ever heard about DNS Leak? It is a major issue for many internet users. In this blog post, I will introduce what causes it and how to fix it.
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What is a DNS leak?
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a protocol that translates domain names into IP addresses, and vice versa.
A DNS leak occurs when the information about your DNS queries are passed on to another entity without your knowledge or consent.
What causes VPN leakage of DNS?
There are various reasons why a VPN can leak your DNS.
If the connection between you and the server is interrupted, it will be difficult to maintain an uninterrupted internet connection. This is because when there’s no data flowing through, IP packets will be routed back to their original destination which may not be where you need them to go if you’re connected to a VPN server in another country.
Another way this can occur is through Wi-Fi connections as well — especially those with no password protection or encryption enabled.
If someone could intercept and capture packets on an unsecured network, then they are at risk of having their data captured by them too, which goes back around again into why connecting over WiFi in public places isn’t always wise!
What is the risk of a DNS leak?
A DNS leak is when a device’s internet connection uses the default DNS settings.
A DNS leak can lead to identity theft or other malicious activities, as it reveals your browsing habits and location data.
An easy way to prevent this from happening is by setting up strong encryption with a VPN service like ExpressVPN.
How do I know if my DNS is leaking?
A DNS leak is easy to detect. You may notice that your internet connection is slower than usual or you have trouble loading pages on the browser, but sometimes there are no symptoms at all!
The easiest way to check for a potential DNS leak is by using the private VPN detection tool:DNS Leak Test.
Your IP address will be shown automatically, and ISP location below then click “Standard test”. If nothing comes up, it’s safe to assume that your device isn’t leaking data through its connections. However if some information does appear, congratulations—you’ve found out how to fix it!
Understanding the DNS leak test results
As I said, the first step in this process is to start by using one of many free online tools such as https://dnsleaktest.com/. This will help give you an idea of what your current DNS settings are set at. These tests will also show if there are any malicious domains or IPs that could be leaking your information via a DNS leak.
Your requests to access websites are received by the servers you see listed. If you’re connected via a VPN, you should only see your VPN’s servers. If you see any other servers listed, you have a DNS leak.
What Other Leaks Can Expose Your IP Address? And How Can You Fix Them?
Another common leak is referred to as a “Dropped Connection,” which occurs when your VPN abruptly disconnects, causing all of your web traffic to be routed through your regular Internet connection (less secure). This is the most common IP leak, and it’s also the simplest to avoid.
Even for your smartphones, selecting a VPN service with a kill-switch feature is the best option. A kill-switch is an important component of your VPN client software that continuously monitors your network connection and ensures that your true IP address is never exposed online in the event of a VPN connection failure.
If it detects a change, it will immediately disconnect from the internet and attempt to reconnect to the VPN on its own. When comparing VPNs, I recommend looking for this feature.
VPNs can be an excellent tool for protecting your online privacy, but they are not without flaws. I hope this post has made you more aware of the risks of IP leaks and the importance of regularly checking for them to ensure the security of your data.
Fix No 1: Use a DNS Leak-Proof VPN
The simplest and most effective way to fix DNS leaks is to use a VPN service that includes DNS Leak Protection.
When you enable the feature, your DNS queries are routed through the VPN’s DNS servers rather than your ISP’s.
As a result, even if DNS requests are sent outside the encrypted tunnel, your true identity is not compromised.
ExpressVPN is the most secure VPN in our vpn ranking.
Fix No 2: Assign Static IP & Change DNS Server
If your VPN does not provide DNS servers, you can route your DNS queries through independent DNS servers like OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.222.220) or Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).
As a result, you can be confident that all DNS requests will be routed through your VPN rather than your ISP.
Fix No 3: Avoid Transparent DNS Proxies
Transparent DNS proxy is a technology that your ISP employs to ensure that your DNS queries are routed solely to their DNS servers.
Another option for resolving DNS leak issues is to bypass these transparent DNS proxies, but this can be a time-consuming process if you are not a tech-savvy individual.
Conclusion
To ensure that your DNS queries are properly protected, you must:
Perform a DNS leak test to ensure that your DNS service is performing as expected. That is, your DNS service is not being compromised (sometimes misleadingly called transparent proxying when an ISP does it).
To ensure that you are connecting to the DNS servers via your VPN connection.
What should you do if you are unable to run? There are two options here, but there may be others.
Connect your VPN to a distant server (e.g., Europe if you are in the US). Then, perform a DNS leak test to ensure that the DNS server is located in the same location as your VPN server.
Run the DNS leak test twice, once before and once after connecting to the VPN. The outcomes should be different.
FAQ
👀Webrtc leak test
To test whether or not your browser is leaking any information, go to ipleak.net and click on the IpLeak.net button in the top right corner of the page.
This will take you to an online web-based service that tests for WebRTC leaks by using a JavaScript library called “IsWebRTCLeaking”. It checks if your IP address changes after loading this webpage and looks for HTTP requests from other domains, such as Google Analytics or Facebook Ads, that are uniquely identifiable by their cookies.
🏤Can my ISP see the domain IP of the sites I’m visiting, even when I’m using an encrypted DNS service like Cloudflare and browsing through a secure SSL TLS connection?
Using an encrypted DNS service like Cloudflare and browsing through a secure SSL TLS connection
When using a VPN or proxy, you can surf the web anonymously and access sites that are blocked in your region.
A lot of people think that their ISP can see the domain IP of all sites they visit even when they’re using an encrypted tunnel to connect to the internet.
The truth is that only ISPs with deep packet inspection technology can do this type of monitoring, and it will not work if you use a VPN service like ExpressVPN because it encrypts your data before sending it over public networks.
❓What is the difference between public and private DNS
A DNS or Domain Name Server is responsible for matching a domain name with its corresponding IP address.
This process can be done on the public internet, however some networks prefer to use private DNS servers that are not accessible by anyone but their own network. These private DNS servers can offer more security and privacy because they do not have to share information outside of the local network.
❓What DNS servers can I trust?
Use Google DNS servers: 8.8.8.8 & 8.8.4.4
If Google DNS is blocked for you, try Neustar DNS Advantage (156.154.70.1 or 156.154.71.1) or Level 3 DNS (4.2.2.1, 4.2.2.2, 4.2.2.3, 4.2.2.4, 209.244.0.3, or 209.244.0.4).
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