There are many ways to hide your identity online, I have already written many articles and covers about online privacy.
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| What is DNS Leak? |
VPN is one of the easiest and most effective methods, with just a few clicks your real IP address will be hidden and you will be able to access any server location completely anonymously.
But the term DNS Leak can be used to describe the very purpose of using your VPN.
However, it is important to note that DNS leaks can only be a problem if you are seriously concerned about your online privacy, meaning you do not want your ISP or any website to disclose your activity at all.
In the case of general use, it does not matter. Then let’s discuss how DNS leaks happen and how they can be fixed.
What is a DNS leak?
If you don’t already know what DNS is or how it works, you may want to read this article.
You just open your browser, enter the address of the website you want to access, and access the website by pressing Enter, right? Yes, browsing websites on the internet is so easy.
However, your computer and networking system have to complete a few special steps behind it.
When you send a request to load a webpage, your computer first tries to find the server IP address from the domain name.
And to find this IP address, your computer has to connect to the DNS server. Typically, your computer tries to find the IP from the ISP’s default DNS server.
However, if you use a VPN, your computer will find the IP from the VPN DNS server.
Now if your requests are flowing through a VPN server, then your ISP will not be able to track this data.
But if for some reason, some data is going through the VPN server and some data is being saved with the default DNS, then your privacy risk will go later or the same is called DNS leak.
DNS leaks can damage your privacy in two ways.
First, your ISP will know everything about your Internet activity and they will sell your data.
Second, the websites you visit will also know about your ISP, your real IP address, your IP location, and so on.
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| Image credit: www.thesslstore.com |
Why DNS Leaks Occur?
Most of the time DNS leaks can be due to VPN client problems.
VPN software that needs to be configured manually can also cause DNS leaks due to configuration problems.
However, most VPN software comes with a readymade configuration. Many times this leak can also happen to the system of VPN providers.
However, you can run DNS leak checking on almost all operating systems like Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, etc.
First, when you connect your computer to a VPN server, your ISP and default DNS are used to connect to the VPN.
This means that your ISP understands that you have a connected VPN.
But once the VPN is connected, all the network traffic on your computer is transferred through the VPN server.
There is no risk of your DNS leaking this way, as long as your VPN client is properly configured.
But many times due to some technical problems your computer’s network traffic no longer follows the above pattern.
Traffic can flow out of the VPN tunnel using the default DNS server, causing DNS to leak problems and compromising your privacy.
The default DNS server is not encrypted, so anyone else can easily monitor your network traffic.
However, there are known reasons why DNS leaks can occur. For example, your VPN must use a specific DNS server once connected.
But if for some reason that DNS server is down or the DNS server cannot be accessed for over traffic, then your computer traffic can use the default DNS, it can easily leak DNS.
How to check DNS leaks from the browser?
It is very easy to check if your computer is leaking DNS from your internet browser.
There are many ways to check this, but the easiest and most effective way is to use dnsleaktest.com.
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| Image credit: www.thesslstore.com |
This tool is very easy to use, it runs a few tests and tries to find your IP address. First, connect the VPN to your computer or phone, then, enter the dnsleaktest.com website.
Two types of tests will be mentioned as soon as you enter the website. Standard Test and Extended Test – Extended Test Recommended here!
Now some tests will be run and this online tool will try to find your real IP address besides VPN.
If no IP other than your VPN IP is found in the results, then you are secure. But if the results show a different IP and your real IPO is seen – then your DNS is leaking.
However, if different IPs are seen, it may not be that your DNS is leaking.
Many VPN providers use separate servers to provide servers. These can also be the server IP.
However, there is definitely a problem with your public IP show. Now if you are sure that your DNS is leaking, then you can definitely try the following fixes.
How to fix DNS leaks
Here are two basic steps you can take to begin the process of preparation for mediation. You must check that your VPN configuration is correct.
But at present most VPN clients do not have to configure manually, in which case you have nothing to do here.
However, I would recommend that no matter which VPN client you use, you must try to keep the client software up-to-date.
If there are any different options in the software, you need to check if they are configured properly.
Many VPN providers offer the option to download custom settings for their software, in which case it is best to use the latest settings.
Another best option is to use the kill switch. The Kill Switch option is now included with many VPN software.
If VPN is not connected then your device will no longer have internet access.
If you are very serious about security, you can definitely use the kill switch. However, firewalls can be treated like a kill switch.
Although it may be a little technical to configure, it still works quite well. I’m sure by now you understand how DNS leaks can ruin your privacy.
You can check if DNS is leaking from your connection and let us know by commenting below.